Agroecosystems /
Carbon Sequestration
Research Focus
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Nebraska Phase I Progress Report
Assessment Procedure
Our approach combines data and modeling within an overall framework designed for quantifying regional ecosystem properties and dynamics (Figure 8).
Figure 8: Framework For EcoSystem Modeling
Here we briefly describe this framework, which is discussed in more detail in Paustian et al. (1995) and Elliott and Cole (1989). The overall integration is provided by a simulation model, which is based on extensive basic research on ecosystem carbon and nutrient dynamics. The model utilizes spatial databases of driving variables (i.e. climate, soil properties, management factors) to calculate soil C changes for combinations of these driving variables, allowing the results to be combined and scaled up to the county and state levels. Data from long-term experiments, spanning a similar range of climate, soil and management, are used to test and validate model performance across the range of conditions in the region.
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