Abstract:

Many efforts have been made to develop numerical models of biospheric processes in recent years. Generally speaking, three classes of global terrestrial biosphere models have emerged: (1) soil-vegetation-atmosphere transfer (SVAT) models, (2) terrestrial biogeochemistry models (TBMs), and (3) potential vegetation models (PVMs). In this manuscript, I summarize the main characteristics of these models and discuss the need for a more fully integrated biosphere model, which would combine aspects of (1), (2) and (3) in a single modeling framework.