[Review of dynamic global vegetation models (DGVMs)]

Area of Science:

• Earth System Science
• Ecology
• Climate Science

Background:

• Dynamic Global Vegetation Models (DGVMs) are crucial for understanding terrestrial carbon cycle processes and vegetation dynamics.
• Existing DGVMs like CLM-DGVM, LPJ, IBIS, and SEIB provide frameworks for global vegetation simulations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the development history and basic structure of DGVMs.
• To identify limitations in current DGVMs concerning dynamic vegetation mechanisms.
• To outline future research directions for advancing DGVM capabilities.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of DGVM development and applications.
• Comparative analysis of prominent DGVMs (CLM-DGVM, LPJ, IBIS, SEIB).
• Identification of shortcomings in plant functional type schemes, vegetation competition, disturbance, and phenology descriptions.

Main Results:

• DGVMs have evolved significantly, offering valuable insights into carbon cycling.
• Current models exhibit deficiencies in accurately representing dynamic vegetation processes.
• Key areas for improvement include PFT schemes, vegetation competition, disturbance dynamics, and phenology.

Conclusions:

• Enhancing PFT schemes and vegetation dynamic mechanisms is essential for DGVM advancement.
• Implementing model inter-comparison projects will foster collaborative development and validation.
• Future DGVMs require refined representations of ecological processes for more robust global change predictions.