Evaluation of land biosphere processes in the New UK Climate Model

A key part of the development of any climate model is the testing of its outputs against observational data. This is critical to diagnose problems with the model as well as to identify where key processes are not represented. In particular the land surface components of such models, and especially those parts that deal with the functioning of biosphere, have not received as much attention as the atmosphere and the ocean components. However with the advent of Earth System Models (essentially climate models that include biogeochemical cycles) the functioning of the terrestrial biosphere has taken on a far more important role. Furthermore, in terms of impact on society, being able to correctly model aspects of the land surface such as the productivity of crops is of the utmost importance. This project seeks to address a number of critical questions in this area.

The project will use Earth Observation data to test UKESM, with a specific focus on the terrestrial biosphere. As well as natural vegetation such as forests it will examine some of the more recent developments in the land component of the model, especially the inclusion of crops. The interplay between terrestrial vegetation and climate is critical for understanding the feedbacks in the carbon cycle and also how food production will be influenced by climate change.

More details are available on the project description at http://www.met.reading.ac.uk/nercdtp/home/available/desc/entry2017/SC201715.pdf
A video description is also available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2537ZNd0PL0&feature=youtu.be

To apply, please refer to the SCENARIO website at http://www.met.reading.ac.uk/nercdtp/home/available/