1. General Model Information
Name: Forest canopy carbon and water balance model
Acronym: BIOMASS
Main medium: terrestrial
Main subject: forestry, biogeochemistry
Organization level: biocoenosis, population
Type of model: not specified
Main application:
Keywords: canopy, forest, photosynthesis, transpiration, climate change, loblolly pine, process based
Contact:
Ross McMurtrie
University of New South Wales
School of Biological Science
Kensington, NSW 2033, Australia
408, BioScience Building
Phone: +61-2-93853264
Fax: +61-2-96622913
Email: r.mcmurtrie@unsw.edu.au
Author(s):
Abstract:
BIOMASS describes canopy net photosynthesis, biomass production and
water use of forest stands in relation to weather, nutrition of trees,
canopy architecture, soil physical conditions and a number of species specific
physiological parameters. The plant community is represented by an array
of spatially explicit crowns that have either ellipsoid or conic shape.
Originally, the BIOMASS model was used as an ecological risk assessment
tool for loblolly pine ecosystems in the southern U.S. It is used now to
evaluate potential effects of climate change, CO2 and nitrogen regimes
on carbon, water and nutrient fluxes, net primary productivity, and yield.
II. Technical Information
II.1 Executables:
Operating System(s): DOS, OS/2
II.2 Source-code:
Programming Language(s): Microsoft FORTRAN
II.3 Manuals:
II.4 Data:
III. Mathematical Information
III.1 Mathematics
III.2 Quantities
III.2.1 Input
More than 600 physiological parameters, stand structure, and site characterization.
Meteorological file: May use simple to complex inputs. Minimum requirements are
- daily minimum temperature,
- daily maximum temperatures, and
- precipitation.
Model Input Data Source: NOAA or other daily weather record.
Parameters specified by users.
III.2.2 Output
IV. References
McMurtrie, R. E. and Wang, Y.. 1993. Mathematical models of the photosynthetic response of tree stands torising CO2 concentrations and temperatures.
Plant Cell and Environment, 16: 1-13.
McMurtrie, R. E., Leuning, R., Thompson, W. A., and Wheeler, A. M. 1992. A model of canopy photosynthesis and water use incorporating a mechanistic formulation of leaf CO2 exchange.
Forest Ecology and Management. 52: 261-278.
McMurtrie, R. E., Rook, D. A., and Kelliher, F.M. 1990.Modelling the yield of Pinus radiata on a site limited by water and nitrogen.
Forest Ecology and Management. 30: 381-413.
V. Further information in the World-Wide-Web
CIESIN modeldata-base information about BIOMASS
VI. Additional remarks
BIOMASS is participating in the EU-Project ECOCRAFT. Main target of this project is to evaluate the effects of climate changeon European forests. Belinda Medlynhas prepared an excellent guide to all of the ECOCRAFT models.
Canopy photosynthetic productivity calculated with the models BIOMASSand MAESTRO was compared in Wang et al., 1992.
Wang, Y.-P., R. E. McMurtrie, and J. J. Landsberg 1992.
Modelling canopy photosynthetic productivity. In: (Eds.: Baker,N.R. and H. Thomas) Crop photosynthesis: spatial and temporal determinants,Elsevier Science Publishers, B.V. pp. 43-67.
Last review of this document by: January 19, 1997 M.Sonntag: sonntag@usf.uni-kassel.de
Status of the document:
last modified by
Tobias Gabele Wed Aug 21 21:44:39 CEST 2002