Implementing a dynamic allocation scheme for the Lund-Potsdam-Jena dynamic global vegetation model

Terrestrial and atmospheric chemistry is affected by allocation patterns in plants. Experimental results show that environmental factors including water, nitrogen, light and atmospheric CO2 affect plant biomass productivity and allocation. Various global vegetation models describe the cycling of carbon and water between land and atmosphere using terrestrial processes and biomass allocation schemes. The latter still have great margins for improvement in terms of dynamic responses to atmospheric CO2. Based on new results from experiments involving plants growing at double atmospheric CO concentrations, a dynamic allocation scheme is applied to the Lund-Potsdam-Jena Dynamic Global Vegetation Model (LPJ-DGVM) with the objective of reproducing the observed ecosystem productivities and structural changes in a elevated CO2 environment. The allocation scheme is based on the definition of apparent environmental resources for which levels are determined by linear perturbation of actual resources induced by elevated CO2.