#L16 Soil BGC Scaling

Abstract

Soil biogeochemistry is one of the dominant uncertainties in predicting carbon-climate feedbacks using earth system models. This uncertainty is partly attributed to the complex network structure that links the many biogeochemical processes in soil, which is not well resolved with existing mathematical framework and model structures. We here propose to implement a hierarchical framework that integrates (1) the network-based SUPECA kinetics for substrate uptake by plants and microbes in soil, (2) a unified growth model for microbes, and the (3) multi-phase reactive transport module BeTR to achieve a consistent scaling of the many soil biogeochemical processes. This new development will also consider the flexible coupling of soil biogeochemistry with different vegetation dynamics. We expect such a develop will enable a flexible and robust assessment of the uncertainty in carbon-climate feedbacks resulting from considering different land biogeochemical processes.