Research
Modeling the Carbon Dynamics of the Eurasian Boreal Forest
Modeling the Carbon Dynamics of the Eurasian Boreal Forest
The goal of this project is to develop a boreal zone forest dynamics model capable of simulating the forest cover dynamics of the Eurasian boreal forest, a major biosphere ecosystem with potentially large roles in the planetary carbon cycle and in the feedback between terrestrial surface and the atmosphere.
The model will be developed as a synthesis tool for studies in Eurasia. The core model (engine) will be an individual-based forest simulator designed to interface with larger-scale biophysically based model components projecting vegetation change and forest carbon balance under dynamic climate change scenarios.
Two initial applications for model development will be:
(1) The prediction of insect outbreaks on the dark-conifer forest of Siberia and (2) The effects of climate change on the composition of the Larch forest of northern Siberia.
The model will utilize information from remote sensing for model parameterization and testing. The work will be a collaboration between US scientists with a long-standing interest in the dynamics of the boreal zone, particularly the Eurasian boreal zone, and leading Russian foresters and forest ecologists.
The scientists have been working on joint projects for well over a decade.
Graduate Students and Research Staff working on this project:
Debra German
Dave Lutz
The research will work in support of the NEESPI project (Northern Eurasia Earth Science Partnership Initiative) of which the two PIs (Isaev and Shugart, respectively), are Russian Academy of Sciences Chief Scientist and NASA-NEESPI Chief Scientist for the project.
Alexander S. Isaev Centre for Ecological Problems and Productivity of Forests of the Russian Academy of Sciences (CEPL RAS) 84/32, Profsoyuznaya Str. 119997, Moscow Russia E-mail: isaev@cepl.rssi.ru Тел.: + 7 (095) 332-2617 Факс: + 7 (095) 332-2917
H.H. (Hank) Shugart
Department of Environmental Sciences
376 Clark Hall
The University of Virginia
Charlottesville, Virginia 22903
Telephone: 434-924-7642
Fax: 434-924-4761
email: hhs@virginia.edu
