Catchment-Scale Modeling of Nitrogen Dynamics in a Temperate Forested Watershed, Oregon. An Interdisciplinary Communication Strategy

Water

Kellie Vaché³  Lutz Breuer¹  Julia Jones⁴  Phil Sollins² 

[1] Institute for Landscape Ecology and Resource Management, University of Giessen, Giessen 35392, Germany; E-Mail:;College of Forestry, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA; E-Mail:;Biological and Ecological Engineering, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA;Department of Geosciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA; E-Mail:

关键词: modeling;    framework;    nitrogen;   

DOI  :  10.3390/w7105345

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

We present a systems modeling approach to the development of a place-based ecohydrological model. The conceptual model is calibrated to a variety of existing observations, taken in watershed 10 (WS10) at the HJ Andrews Experimental Forest (HJA) in Oregon, USA, a long term ecological research (LTER) site with a long history of catchment-scale data collection. The modeling framework was designed to help document and evaluate an evolving understanding of catchment processing of water, nitrogen, and carbon that has developed over the many years of on-going research at the site. We use the dynamic model to capture the temporal variation in the N and C budgets and to evaluate how different components of the complex system may control the retention and release of N in this pristine forested landscape. Results indicate that the relative roles of multiple competing controls on N change seasonally, between periods of wet/dry and growth/senescence. The model represents a communication strategy to facilitate dialog between disciplinary experimentalists and modelers, to produce a more complete picture of nitrogen cycling in the region. We view this explicit development of complete, yet conceptually simplified models as a useful and important way to evaluate complex environmental dynamics.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2015 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.