loading page

Coupling Remote Sensing with a Process Model for the Simulation of Rangeland Carbon Dynamics
  • +31
  • Yushu Xia,
  • Jonathan Sanderman,
  • Jennifer Watts,
  • Megan B Machmuller,
  • Andrew L. Mullen,
  • Charlotte Rivard,
  • K. Arthur Endsley,
  • Haydee Hernandez,
  • John Kimball,
  • Stephanie A Ewing,
  • Marcy Litvak,
  • Tomer Duman,
  • Praveena Krishnan,
  • Tilden Meyers,
  • Nathaniel A Brunsell,
  • Binayak Mohanty,
  • Heping Liu,
  • Zhongming Gao,
  • Jiquan Chen,
  • Michael Abraha,
  • Russell L. Scott,
  • Gerald Flerchinger,
  • Pat Clark,
  • Paul Christopher Stoy,
  • Anam Munir Khan,
  • Jack Brookshire,
  • Quan Zhang,
  • David R Cook,
  • Thomas Thienelt,
  • Bhaskar Mitra,
  • Marguerite Mauritz,
  • Craig Tweedie,
  • Margaret S. Torn,
  • Dave Billesbach
Yushu Xia
Columbia University

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

Author Profile
Jonathan Sanderman
Woodwell Climate Research Center
Author Profile
Jennifer Watts
Woodwell Climate Research Center
Author Profile
Megan B Machmuller
Colorado State University
Author Profile
Andrew L. Mullen
Woodwell Climate Research Center
Author Profile
Charlotte Rivard
The Brookings Institution
Author Profile
K. Arthur Endsley
Numerical Terradynamic Simulation Group (NTSG), WA Franke College of Forestry and Conservation, University of Montana
Author Profile
Haydee Hernandez
The Nature Conservancy
Author Profile
John Kimball
University of Montana
Author Profile
Stephanie A Ewing
Montana State University
Author Profile
Marcy Litvak
University of New Mexico
Author Profile
Tomer Duman
University of New Mexico
Author Profile
Praveena Krishnan
Atmospheric Turbulence and Diffusion Division, Air Resources Laboratory
Author Profile
Tilden Meyers
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Author Profile
Nathaniel A Brunsell
University of Kansas
Author Profile
Binayak Mohanty
Texas A&M University
Author Profile
Heping Liu
Washington State University
Author Profile
Zhongming Gao
Sun Yat-sen University
Author Profile
Jiquan Chen
Michigan State University
Author Profile
Michael Abraha
Michigan State University
Author Profile
Russell L. Scott
USDA Agricultural Research Service
Author Profile
Gerald Flerchinger
USDA Agricultural Research Service
Author Profile
Pat Clark
USDA-ARS
Author Profile
Paul Christopher Stoy
University of Wisconsin - Madison
Author Profile
Anam Munir Khan
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Author Profile
Jack Brookshire
Montana State University
Author Profile
Quan Zhang
Wuhan University
Author Profile
David R Cook
Argonne National Laboratory
Author Profile
Thomas Thienelt
Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg
Author Profile
Bhaskar Mitra
James Hutton Institute
Author Profile
Marguerite Mauritz
University of Texas at El Paso
Author Profile
Craig Tweedie
University of Texas at El Paso
Author Profile
Margaret S. Torn
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (DOE)
Author Profile
Dave Billesbach
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Author Profile

Abstract

Rangelands provide significant environmental benefits through many ecosystem services, which may include soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration. However, quantifying SOC stocks and monitoring carbon (C) fluxes in rangelands are challenging due to the considerable spatial and temporal variability tied to rangeland C dynamics, as well as limited data availability. We developed a Rangeland Carbon Tracking and Management (RCTM) system to track long-term changes in SOC and ecosystem C fluxes by leveraging remote sensing inputs and environmental variable datasets with algorithms representing terrestrial C-cycle processes. Bayesian calibration was conducted using quality-controlled C flux datasets obtained from 61 Ameriflux and NEON flux tower sites from Western and Midwestern U.S. rangelands, to parameterize the model according to dominant vegetation classes (perennial and/or annual grass, grass-shrub mixture, and grass-tree mixture). The resulting RCTM system produced higher model accuracy for estimating annual cumulative gross primary productivity (GPP) (R2 > 0.6, RMSE < 390 g C m-2) than net ecosystem exchange of CO2 (NEE) (R2 > 0.4, RMSE < 180 g C m-2), and captured the spatial variability of surface SOC stocks with R2 = 0.6 when validated against SOC measurements across 13 NEON sites. Our RCTM simulations indicated slightly enhanced SOC stocks during the past decade, which is mainly driven by an increase in precipitation. Regression analysis identified slope, soil texture, and climate factors as the main controls on model-predicted C sequestration rate. Future efforts to refine the RCTM system will benefit from long-term network-based monitoring of rangeland vegetation biomass, C fluxes, and SOC stocks.
02 Apr 2024Submitted to ESS Open Archive
09 Apr 2024Published in ESS Open Archive