DayCent: Daily Century Model
DAYCENT is the daily time-step version of the CENTURY biogeochemical model
(Parton et al., 1994). DAYCENT simulates fluxes of C and N among the
atmosphere, vegetation, and soil (Del Grosso et al., 2001a; Parton et al.,
1998). Key submodels include soil water content and temperature by layer,
plant production and allocation of net primary production (NPP), decomposition
of litter and soil organic matter, mineralization of nutrients, N gas
emissions from nitrification and denitrification, and CH4 oxidation in
non-saturated soils. Flows of C and N between the different soil organic
matter pools are controlled by the size of the pools, C/N ratio and lignin
content of material, and abiotic water/temperature factors. Plant production
is a function of genetic potential, phenology, nutrient availability,
water/temperature stress, and solar radiation. NPP is allocated to plant
components (e.g., roots vs. shoots) based on vegetation type, phenology, and
water/nutrient stress. Nutrient concentrations of plant components vary
within specified limits, depending on vegetation type, and nutrient
availability relative to plant demand. Decomposition of litter and soil
organic matter and nutrient mineralization are functions of substrate
availability, substrate quality (lignin %, C/N ratio), and water/temperature
stress. N gas fluxes from nitrification and denitrification are driven by
soil NH4 and NO3 concentrations, water content, temperature, texture, and
labile C availability (Parton et al., 2001).
Model inputs are: daily maximum/minimum air temperature and precipitation,
surface soil texture class, and land cover/use data (e.g., vegetation type,
cultivation/planting schedules, amount and timing of nutrient amendments).
Model outputs include: daily N-gas flux (N2O, NOx, N2), CO2 flux from
heterotrophic soil respiration, soil organic C and N, NPP, H2O and NO3
leaching, and other ecosystem parameters.
Recent improvements to the model include the ability to schedule management
events daily and the option of making crop germination a function of soil
temperature and harvest date a function of accumulated growing degree days.
The ability of DAYCENT to simulate NPP, soil organic carbon, N2O emissions,
and NO3 leaching has been tested with data from various native and managed
systems(Del Grosso et al., 2001b; 2002; 2005).