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Sensitivity of the CLM 4.0 (Community Land Model Version 4.0) to Key Modeling Parameters
and Modeling of Key Physical Processes with Focus on the Arctic Environment




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DOI:10.17265/2328-2193/2014.01.005

The CLM (Community Land Model) simulates major physical processes at the land surface and in the shallow subsurface and calculates the parameters that are then used as the inputs into the atmospheric model. The major goal of this study was to identify the parameters that have greatest impacts on these inputs and thus, the greatest potential to impact the climate in Arctic environment. Another goal was to identify the limitations in representing different physical processes and to determine whether these limitations restrict the ability of CLM to predict the distribution of energy at the land surface. The focus of this analysis is on the vegetation and soil models. The analysis was conducted for a grid cell near Fairbanks, Alaska. A range of hydrogeologic and thermal soil properties and vegetation characteristics was defined for the vegetation and soil parameters. Multiple CLM sensitivity runs were performed. The sensitivity cases that produced noticeable differences either between the mean soil temperatures or/and between ground temperatures were the cases related to the LAI (leaf area index), SAI (stem area index), and soil moisture (shallow water table conditions). These results were explained based on the analysis of the net radiation partitioning at the land surface.

Soil moisture, soil temperature, vegetation properties, ground heat, latent heat, sensible heat.