---
OA_place: publisher
OA_type: free access
_id: '22532'
abstract:
- lang: eng
  text: 'The coarse‐grained spatial representation of many terrestrial ecosystem models
    hampers the importance of local‐scale heterogeneities. To address this issue,
    we combine a range of observations (forest inventories, eddy flux tower data,
    and remote sensing products) and modeling approaches with contrasting degrees
    of abstraction. The following models are selected: (i) Lund‐Potsdam‐Jena (LPJ),
    a well‐established, area‐based, dynamic global vegetation model (DGVM); (ii) LPJ‐General
    Ecosystem Simulator, a hybrid, individual‐based approach that additionally considers
    plant population dynamics in greater detail; and (iii) distributed in space‐LPJ,
    a spatially explicit version of LPJ, operating at a fine spatial resolution (100 m × 100 m),
    which uses an enhanced hydrological representation accounting for lateral connectivity
    of surface and subsurface water fluxes. By comparing model simulations with a
    multivariate data set available at the catchment scale, we argue that (i) local
    environmental and topographic attributes that are often ignored or crudely represented
    in DGVM applications exert a strong control on terrestrial ecosystem response;
    (ii) the assumption of steady state vegetation and soil carbon pools at the beginning
    of simulation studies (e.g., under “current conditions”), as embedded in many
    DGVM applications, is in contradiction with the current state of many forests
    that are often out of equilibrium; and (iii) model evaluation against vegetation
    carbon fluxes does not imply an accurate simulation of vegetation carbon stocks.
    Having gained insights about the magnitude of aggregation‐induced biases due to
    smoothing of spatial variability at the catchment scale, we discuss the implications
    of our findings with respect to the global‐scale modeling studies of carbon cycle
    and we illustrate alternative ways forward.'
article_processing_charge: No
article_type: original
author:
- first_name: Christoforos
  full_name: Pappas, Christoforos
  last_name: Pappas
- first_name: Simone
  full_name: Fatichi, Simone
  id: cf8e546b-a9b0-11f0-a43b-aa89ed1b56d6
  last_name: Fatichi
- first_name: Stefan
  full_name: Rimkus, Stefan
  last_name: Rimkus
- first_name: Paolo
  full_name: Burlando, Paolo
  last_name: Burlando
- first_name: Markus O.
  full_name: Huber, Markus O.
  last_name: Huber
citation:
  ama: 'Pappas C, Fatichi S, Rimkus S, Burlando P, Huber MO. The role of local‐scale
    heterogeneities in terrestrial ecosystem modeling. <i>Journal of Geophysical Research:
    Biogeosciences</i>. 2015;120(2):341-360. doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/2014jg002735">10.1002/2014jg002735</a>'
  apa: 'Pappas, C., Fatichi, S., Rimkus, S., Burlando, P., &#38; Huber, M. O. (2015).
    The role of local‐scale heterogeneities in terrestrial ecosystem modeling. <i>Journal
    of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences</i>. American Geophysical Union. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/2014jg002735">https://doi.org/10.1002/2014jg002735</a>'
  chicago: 'Pappas, Christoforos, Simone Fatichi, Stefan Rimkus, Paolo Burlando, and
    Markus O. Huber. “The Role of Local‐scale Heterogeneities in Terrestrial Ecosystem
    Modeling.” <i>Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences</i>. American Geophysical
    Union, 2015. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/2014jg002735">https://doi.org/10.1002/2014jg002735</a>.'
  ieee: 'C. Pappas, S. Fatichi, S. Rimkus, P. Burlando, and M. O. Huber, “The role
    of local‐scale heterogeneities in terrestrial ecosystem modeling,” <i>Journal
    of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences</i>, vol. 120, no. 2. American Geophysical
    Union, pp. 341–360, 2015.'
  ista: 'Pappas C, Fatichi S, Rimkus S, Burlando P, Huber MO. 2015. The role of local‐scale
    heterogeneities in terrestrial ecosystem modeling. Journal of Geophysical Research:
    Biogeosciences. 120(2), 341–360.'
  mla: 'Pappas, Christoforos, et al. “The Role of Local‐scale Heterogeneities in Terrestrial
    Ecosystem Modeling.” <i>Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences</i>, vol.
    120, no. 2, American Geophysical Union, 2015, pp. 341–60, doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/2014jg002735">10.1002/2014jg002735</a>.'
  short: 'C. Pappas, S. Fatichi, S. Rimkus, P. Burlando, M.O. Huber, Journal of Geophysical
    Research: Biogeosciences 120 (2015) 341–360.'
das_tickbox: '1'
date_created: 2026-07-27T12:30:24Z
date_published: 2015-02-01T00:00:00Z
date_updated: 2026-08-06T08:41:45Z
day: '01'
doi: 10.1002/2014jg002735
extern: '1'
intvolume: '       120'
issue: '2'
language:
- iso: eng
main_file_link:
- open_access: '1'
  url: https://doi.org/10.1002/2014JG002735
month: '02'
oa: 1
oa_version: Published Version
page: 341-360
publication: 'Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences'
publication_identifier:
  eissn:
  - 2169-8961
  issn:
  - 2169-8953
publication_status: published
publisher: American Geophysical Union
quality_controlled: '1'
scopus_import: '1'
status: public
title: The role of local‐scale heterogeneities in terrestrial ecosystem modeling
type: journal_article
user_id: ba8df636-2132-11f1-aed0-ed93e2281fdd
volume: 120
year: '2015'
...