Articles | Volume 14, issue 4
https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-14-767-2023
© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-14-767-2023
© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Evaluating nitrogen cycling in terrestrial biosphere models: a disconnect between the carbon and nitrogen cycles
Sian Kou-Giesbrecht
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Canadian Centre for Climate Modelling and Analysis, Climate Research Division, Environment Canada, Victoria, Canada
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada
Vivek K. Arora
Canadian Centre for Climate Modelling and Analysis, Climate Research Division, Environment Canada, Victoria, Canada
Christian Seiler
School of Environmental Studies, Queen's University, Kingston, Canada
Almut Arneth
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Atmospheric Environmental Research, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany
Stefanie Falk
Department für Geographie, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Munich, Germany
Atul K. Jain
Department of Atmospheric Sciences, University of Illinois
Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
Fortunat Joos
Climate and Environmental Physics, Physics Institute and Oeschger
Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
Daniel Kennedy
National Center for Atmospheric Research, Climate and Global Dynamics, Terrestrial Sciences Section, Boulder, Colorado, USA
Jürgen Knauer
Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW, Australia
Stephen Sitch
Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy, University of Exeter,
Exeter, UK
Michael O'Sullivan
Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy, University of Exeter,
Exeter, UK
Naiqing Pan
Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA
Climate and Environmental Physics, Physics Institute and Oeschger
Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
Hanqin Tian
Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA
Nicolas Vuichard
Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement, LSCE-IPSL
(CEA-CNRS-UVSQ), Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
Sönke Zaehle
Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Jena, Germany
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Cited
28 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Best practices in software development for robust and reproducible geoscientific models based on insights from the Global Carbon Budget's dynamic vegetation models K. Gregor et al.
- Uncertainties in fertilizer-induced emissions of soil nitrogen oxide and the associated impacts on ground-level ozone and methane C. Gong et al.
- Integrated assessment of the costs and benefits of reactive nitrogen emission and mitigation: a methodological review and framework proposal X. Zhang et al.
- Evaluating the carbon and nitrogen cycles of the QUINCY terrestrial biosphere model using space-born optical remotely-sensed data T. Miinalainen et al.
- Rising nitrogen deposition leads to only a minor increase in CO2 uptake in Earth system models S. Kou-Giesbrecht et al.
- Overestimated natural biological nitrogen fixation translates to an exaggerated CO 2 fertilization effect in Earth system models S. Kou-Giesbrecht et al.
- Biological nitrogen fixation of natural and agricultural vegetation simulated with LPJmL 5.7.9 S. Wirth et al.
- Increased carbon cost for nitrogen assimilation in plants under a warming climate C. Hu et al.
- Tropical dry forest response to nutrient fertilization: a model validation and sensitivity analysis S. Li et al.
- Human activity redistributes nitrogen fixation across the terrestrial biosphere
- Development of a plant carbon–nitrogen interface coupling framework in a coupled biophysical-ecosystem–biogeochemical model (SSiB5/TRIFFID/DayCent-SOM v1.0) Z. Xiang et al.
- Elevated CO2 levels promote both carbon and nitrogen cycling in global forests J. Cui et al.
- A global meta-analysis database of elevated CO 2 , warming and altered precipitation regimes on grassland nitrogen and carbon cycles M. Zheng et al.
- Mesotrione alters the structure of network interactions between soil microbes and affects C and N cycling functions X. Wu et al.
- Shifts in precipitation regimes exacerbate global inequality in grassland nitrogen cycles M. Zheng et al.
- Terrestrial Phosphorus Cycling: Responses to Climatic Change D. Menge et al.
- Empirical evidence and theoretical understanding of ecosystem carbon and nitrogen cycle interactions B. Stocker et al.
- Global net climate effects of anthropogenic reactive nitrogen C. Gong et al.
- Global terrestrial nitrogen fixation and its modification by agriculture C. Reis Ely et al.
- Nitrogen demand, availability, and acquisition strategy control plant responses to elevated CO2 E. Perkowski et al.
- Total nitrogen levels as a key constraint on soil organic carbon stocks across Australian agricultural soils H. Jing et al.
- Modelling decadal trends and the impact of extreme events on carbon fluxes in a temperate deciduous forest using a terrestrial biosphere model T. Thum et al.
- Humans have depleted global terrestrial carbon stocks by a quarter R. Ganzenmüller et al.
- Representation of the terrestrial carbon cycle in CMIP6 B. Gier et al.
- Nitrogen concentrations in boreal and temperate tree tissues vary with tree age/size, growth rate, and climate M. Thurner et al.
- Anthropogenic-driven perturbations on nitrogen cycles and interactions with climate changes C. Gong et al.
- Analysis of the Evolution and Driving Factors of Nitrogen Balance in Zhejiang Province from 2011 to 2021 H. Yang et al.
- Aligning theoretical and empirical representations of soil carbon-to-nitrogen stoichiometry with process-based terrestrial biogeochemistry models K. Rocci et al.
28 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Best practices in software development for robust and reproducible geoscientific models based on insights from the Global Carbon Budget's dynamic vegetation models K. Gregor et al.
- Uncertainties in fertilizer-induced emissions of soil nitrogen oxide and the associated impacts on ground-level ozone and methane C. Gong et al.
- Integrated assessment of the costs and benefits of reactive nitrogen emission and mitigation: a methodological review and framework proposal X. Zhang et al.
- Evaluating the carbon and nitrogen cycles of the QUINCY terrestrial biosphere model using space-born optical remotely-sensed data T. Miinalainen et al.
- Rising nitrogen deposition leads to only a minor increase in CO2 uptake in Earth system models S. Kou-Giesbrecht et al.
- Overestimated natural biological nitrogen fixation translates to an exaggerated CO 2 fertilization effect in Earth system models S. Kou-Giesbrecht et al.
- Biological nitrogen fixation of natural and agricultural vegetation simulated with LPJmL 5.7.9 S. Wirth et al.
- Increased carbon cost for nitrogen assimilation in plants under a warming climate C. Hu et al.
- Tropical dry forest response to nutrient fertilization: a model validation and sensitivity analysis S. Li et al.
- Human activity redistributes nitrogen fixation across the terrestrial biosphere
- Development of a plant carbon–nitrogen interface coupling framework in a coupled biophysical-ecosystem–biogeochemical model (SSiB5/TRIFFID/DayCent-SOM v1.0) Z. Xiang et al.
- Elevated CO2 levels promote both carbon and nitrogen cycling in global forests J. Cui et al.
- A global meta-analysis database of elevated CO 2 , warming and altered precipitation regimes on grassland nitrogen and carbon cycles M. Zheng et al.
- Mesotrione alters the structure of network interactions between soil microbes and affects C and N cycling functions X. Wu et al.
- Shifts in precipitation regimes exacerbate global inequality in grassland nitrogen cycles M. Zheng et al.
- Terrestrial Phosphorus Cycling: Responses to Climatic Change D. Menge et al.
- Empirical evidence and theoretical understanding of ecosystem carbon and nitrogen cycle interactions B. Stocker et al.
- Global net climate effects of anthropogenic reactive nitrogen C. Gong et al.
- Global terrestrial nitrogen fixation and its modification by agriculture C. Reis Ely et al.
- Nitrogen demand, availability, and acquisition strategy control plant responses to elevated CO2 E. Perkowski et al.
- Total nitrogen levels as a key constraint on soil organic carbon stocks across Australian agricultural soils H. Jing et al.
- Modelling decadal trends and the impact of extreme events on carbon fluxes in a temperate deciduous forest using a terrestrial biosphere model T. Thum et al.
- Humans have depleted global terrestrial carbon stocks by a quarter R. Ganzenmüller et al.
- Representation of the terrestrial carbon cycle in CMIP6 B. Gier et al.
- Nitrogen concentrations in boreal and temperate tree tissues vary with tree age/size, growth rate, and climate M. Thurner et al.
- Anthropogenic-driven perturbations on nitrogen cycles and interactions with climate changes C. Gong et al.
- Analysis of the Evolution and Driving Factors of Nitrogen Balance in Zhejiang Province from 2011 to 2021 H. Yang et al.
- Aligning theoretical and empirical representations of soil carbon-to-nitrogen stoichiometry with process-based terrestrial biogeochemistry models K. Rocci et al.
Saved (final revised paper)
Latest update: 11 May 2026
Short summary
Nitrogen (N) is an essential limiting nutrient to terrestrial carbon (C) sequestration. We evaluate N cycling in an ensemble of terrestrial biosphere models. We find that variability in N processes across models is large. Models tended to overestimate C storage per unit N in vegetation and soil, which could have consequences for projecting the future terrestrial C sink. However, N cycling measurements are highly uncertain, and more are necessary to guide the development of N cycling in models.
Nitrogen (N) is an essential limiting nutrient to terrestrial carbon (C) sequestration. We...
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