The BOREAS Information System

HYD-8: Simulation of Boreal Ecosystem Carbon and Water Budgets: Scaling from Local to Regional Extents

P.I.(s): Lawrence E. Band -- University of Toronto
Co-I(s): Anthony Price, Tony Carleton -- Univ. of Toronto; Joseph C. Coughlan -- NASA/ARC

Objectives: This project is primarily a modeling effort, which seeks to describe the scaling behavior of water and carbon flux processes from local and regional extents. A suite of simulation models are being used to describe photosynthesis, respiration, evapotranspiration, and surface and subsurface flow over a range of scales. The underlying hypothesis is that the spatial patterns of surface-atmosphere fluxes are strongly influenced by the spatial distribution of soil moisture and inundation areas in the study sites, which, in conjunction with disturbance regime, are thought to provide the key to scaling from stand to regional simulations. The smallest scale to be modeled will be essentially hillslopes or subcatchments for which the spatial resolution will be 10 to 30 meters; these subcatchments or hillslopes will probably be located in or around the catchments monitored by HYD-9, in the vicinity of the tower sites to facilitate use of the surface flux data collected there. The larger scale will be on the order of the size of the NSA and SSA site, with data resolution extending down to that of AVHRR. The primary external data requirements are for high resolution DEM data, particularly for the hillslope sites, and vegetation and soil data at resolutions comparable to that of the DEM. Limited monitoring of canopy interception (throughfall and stemflow), and of moss water retention will be carried out in the Southern Study Area in association with HYD-9.

HYD-8 Data Sets