Overview of the Large-Scale Biosphere–Atmosphere Experiment in Amazonia Data Model Intercomparison Project (LBA-DMIP)

Authors

Luis Gustavo Goncalves de Goncalves, (CPTEC), Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas EspaciaisFollow
Jordan Borak, University of Maryland, Hydrological Sciences Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight CenterFollow
Marcos Heil Costa, Federal University of Vic¸ osaFollow
Scott R. Saleska, University of ArizonaFollow
Ian Baker, Colorado State University - Fort CollinsFollow
Natalia Resprepo-Coupe, Colorado State University, University of Technology, Sydney, AustraliaFollow
Michel Nobre Muza, Instituto Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, BrazilFollow
Benjamin Poulter, Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et l’Environnement (LSCE)Follow
Hans Verbeeck, Ghent UniversityFollow
Joshua B. Fisher, California Institute of TechnologyFollow
Altaf Arain, McMaster UniversityFollow
Phillip Arkin, University of Maryland - College ParkFollow
Bruno P. Cestaro, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, BrazilFollow
Bradley Christoffersen, University of ArizonaFollow
David Galbraith, University of LeedsFollow
Xiaodan Guan, College of Atmospheric Sciences, Lanzhou University, ChinaFollow
Bart van den Hurk, Royal Netherlands Meteorological InstituteFollow
Kazuhito Ichii, Fukushima UniversityFollow
Hewlley Acioli Imbuzeiro, Universidade Federal de Vicosa
Atul Jain, University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignFollow
Naomi Levine, Harvard UniversityFollow
Chaoqun Lu, School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences, Auburn University AuburnFollow
Gonzalo Migues-Macho, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
Debora Roberti, Federal University of Santa Maria
Alok Sahoo, Princeton University
Koichi Sakaguchi, University of Arizona, Tucson
Kevin Shaefer, University of Colorado, Boulder
Mingjie Shi, The University of Texas at AustinFollow
James Shuttleworth, School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences, Auburn UniversityFollow
Hanqin Tian, School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences, Auburn UniversityFollow
Zong-Lian Yang, The University of Texas at AustinFollow
Xubin Zeng, The University of ArizonaFollow

Date of this Version

2013

Citation

Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 182– 183 (2013) 111– 127

Comments

This article is a U.S. government work, and is not subject to copyright in the United States.

Abstract

A fundamental question connecting terrestrial ecology and global climate change is the sensitivity of key terrestrial biomes to climatic variability and change. The Amazon region is such a key biome: it contains unparalleled biological diversity, a globally significant store of organic carbon, and it is a potent engine driving global cycles of water and energy. The importance of understanding how land surface dynamics of the Amazon region respond to climatic variability and change is widely appreciated, but despite significant recent advances, large gaps in our understanding remain. Understanding of energy and carbon exchange between terrestrial ecosystems and the atmosphere can be improved through direct observations and experiments, as well as through modeling activities. Land surface/ecosystem models have become important tools for extrapolating local observations and understanding to much larger terrestrial regions. They are also valuable tools to test hypothesis on ecosystem functioning. Funded by NASA under the auspices of the LBA (the Large-Scale Biosphere–Atmosphere Experiment in Amazonia), the LBA Data Model Intercomparison Project (LBA-DMIP) uses a comprehensive data set from an observational network of flux towers across the Amazon, and an ecosystem modeling community engaged in ongoing studies using a suite of different land surface and terrestrial ecosystem models to understand Amazon forest function. Here an overview of this project is presented accompanied by a description of the measurement sites, data, models and protocol.