EGU22-9321
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu22-9321
EGU General Assembly 2022
© Author(s) 2022. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Improving crop representation in an ecohydrological model: a proof of concept

Jordi Buckley Paules1, Athanasios Paschalis2, Simone Fatichi3, and Bonnie Warring4
Jordi Buckley Paules et al.
  • 1Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Grantham Institute, Imperial College London, UK (jjb21@ic.ac.uk)
  • 2Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Imperial College London, UK (a.paschalis@imperial.ac.uk)
  • 3Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore (ceesimo@nus.edu.sg)
  • 4Department of Life Sciences and Grantham Institute, Silwood Park, Imperial College London, UK (b.waring@imperial.ac.uk)

Agricultural crops represent some 10% of the Earth’s land surface and their sustainable management is key to maintain ecosystem services and ensure food security. Arguably, the first step towards successful management of these croplands is a detailed understanding of their intricate energy,water,carbon and nutrient dynamics. This is best achieved via mechanistic ecohydrological modeling which facilitates the study of explicit processes such as crop growth and nutrient leaching. For example, this method allows us to investigate soil biogeochemical cycling under different fertilization practices which would otherwise be challenging using an alternative empirical modelling approach. 

In this proof of concept study, we expand the T&C ecohydrological model to represent agricultural crops and the associated soil biogeochemical dynamics. This is accomplished via the introduction of a new model component which represents individual crop dynamics. Specifically, we develop new algorithms to represent crop-specific phenology, crop-specific carbon allocation schemes,  as well as crop-specific management practices which span from sowing to fertilization to harvest. We apply T&C-crop to three agricultural catchments in the UK. Model validation is performed for several crop types in terms of leaf area dynamics, crop yield, hydrological dynamics and downstream nitrogen release. 

How to cite: Buckley Paules, J., Paschalis, A., Fatichi, S., and Warring, B.: Improving crop representation in an ecohydrological model: a proof of concept, EGU General Assembly 2022, Vienna, Austria, 23–27 May 2022, EGU22-9321, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu22-9321, 2022.

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