Perspective on Terrestrial Ecosystem Models and Their Coupling with Climate System Models

Terrestrial ecosystem and climate system interact with each other through biophysics and biochemical processes that involve the transfers of energy, water, and other matters. Ecosystem models and their coupling with climate system models are the most important means to study ecosystem and climate interaction. Five global terrestrial ecosystem models developed are reviewed and they can be classified into biogeography, biogeochemical, biophysical, forest gap and dynamic global vegetation types considering their functions and complexities. The coupling models between terrestrial ecosystem models and climate system models, as a result, also have five classifications. The most comprehensive model, dynamic global vegetation models and their coupling models, can simulate land surface physics, canopy physiology, plant phenology, vegetation dynamics, carbon cycling and nutrient cycling in an integrated system. They have the great potential to provide a fully interactive representation of biosphere ecosystems within GCMs to investigate the potential for vegetation climate interactions and feedback mechanisms. Finally, we have some perspectives and suggest a few problems in the modeling of ecosystems and their coupling with climate system models in future.