SIPNET Model States and Parameters
Lists SIPNET state variables and tunable parameters, mapping symbols to the
model equations, configuration names, units, and I/O fields. See
Model Inputs and
Model Outputs for file formats. Unless noted,
pools are mass per ground area and rates are mass per area per day. The actual parameter set that is used depends on the configured model structure. For equation references, see the model structure documentation.
Notation
Variables (Pools, Fluxes, and Parameters)
Category
Symbol
Description
State variables
\(C\)
Carbon pool
\(N\)
Nitrogen pool
\(W\)
Water pool or content
\(CN\)
Carbon-to-Nitrogen ratio
Fluxes and rates
\(F\)
Generic flux of carbon, nitrogen, or water
\(A\)
Photosynthetic assimilation (net photosynthesis)
\(R\)
Respiration flux
\(ET\)
Evapotranspiration
\(GPP\)
Gross Primary Production
\(NPP\)
Net Primary Production
\(NEE\)
Net Ecosystem Exchange
Environmental drivers
\(T\)
Temperature
\(VPD\)
Vapor Pressure Deficit
\(PAR\)
Photosynthetically Active Radiation
\(LAI\)
Leaf Area Index
Parameters
\(K\)
Rate constant (e.g., for decomposition or respiration)
\(Q_{10}\)
Temperature sensitivity coefficient
\(\alpha\)
Fraction of NPP allocated to a plant pool
\(f\)
Fraction of a pool or flux other than NPP
\(k\)
Scaling factor
\(D\)
Dependency or damping function
Subscripts (Temporal, Spatial, or Contextual Identifiers)
Category
Subscript
Description
Temporal identifiers
\(X_0\)
Initial value
\(X_t\)
Value at time \(t\)
\(X_d\)
Daily value or average
\(X_\text{avg}\)
Average value (e.g., over a timestep or spatial area)
\(X_\text{max}\)
Maximum value (e.g., temperature or rate)
\(X_\text{min}\)
Minimum value (e.g., temperature or rate)
\(X_\text{opt}\)
Optimal value (e.g., temperature or rate)
Structural components
\(X_\text{leaf}\)
Leaf pools or fluxes
\(X_\text{wood}\)
Wood pools or fluxes
\(X_\text{root}\)
Root pool
\(X_\text{fine root}\)
Fine root pool
\(X_\text{coarse root}\)
Coarse root pool
\(X_\text{soil}\)
Soil pools or processes
\(X_\text{litter}\)
Litter pools or processes
\(X_\text{veg}\)
Vegetation processes (general)
Processes context
\(X_\text{resp}\)
Respiration processes
\(X_\text{dec}\)
Decomposition processes
\(X_\text{vol}\)
Volatilization processes
Chemical / environmental identifiers
\(X_\text{org}\)
Organic forms
\(X_\text{mineral}\)
Mineral forms
\(X_{\text{anaer}}\)
Anaerobic soil conditions
Subscripts may be used in combination, e.g. \(X_{\text{soil,mineral},0}\) .
Run-time Parameters
Run-time parameters can change from one run to the next, or when the model is stopped and restarted. These include initial state values and parameters related to plant physiology, soil physics, and biogeochemical cycling.
Initial state values
Symbol
Parameter Name
Definition
Units
notes
1
\(C_{\text{wood},0}\)
plantWoodInit
Initial wood carbon
\(\text{g C} \cdot \text{m}^{-2} \text{ ground area}\)
above-ground + roots
2
\(LAI_0\)
laiInit
Initial leaf area
m^2 leaves * m^-2 ground area
multiply by SLW to get initial plant leaf C: \(C_{\text{leaf},0} = LAI_0 \cdot SLW\)
3
\(C_{\text{litter},0}\)
litterInit
Initial litter carbon
\(\text{g C} \cdot \text{m}^{-2} \text{ ground area}\)
4
\(C_{\text{soil},0}\)
soilInit
Initial soil carbon
\(\text{g C} \cdot \text{m}^{-2} \text{ ground area}\)
5
\(W_{\text{litter},0}\)
litterWFracInit
unitless
fraction of litterWHC
6
\(W_{\text{soil},0}\)
soilWFracInit
unitless
fraction of soilWHC
\(N_{\text{org, litter},0}\)
Initial litter organic nitrogen content
g N m\(^{-2}\)
\(N_{\text{org, soil},0}\)
Initial soil organic nitrogen content
g N m\(^{-2}\)
\(N_{\text{min, soil},0}\)
Initial soil mineral nitrogen content
g N m\(^{-2}\)
\({CH_4}_{\text{soil},0}\)
Initial methane concentration in the soil
g C m\(^{-2}\)
\({N_2O}_{\text{soil},0}\)
Nitrous oxide concentration in the soil
g N m\(^{-2}\)
\(f_{\text{fine root},0}\)
fineRootFrac
Fraction of plantWoodInit allocated to initial fine root carbon pool
\(f_{\text{coarse root},0}\)
coarseRootFrac
Fraction of plantWoodInit allocated to initial coarse root carbon pool
Stoichiometry Parameters
Symbol
Name
Description
Units
Notes
\(CN_{\textrm{wood}}\)
woodCN
Carbon to Nitrogen ratio of wood
\(CN_{\textrm{coarse root}} = CN_{\textrm{wood}}\)
\(CN_{\textrm{leaf}}\)
leafCN
Carbon to Nitrogen ratio of leaves
\(CN_{\textrm{fine root}}\)
fineRootCN
Carbon to Nitrogen ratio of fine roots
\(k_\textit{CN}\)
kCN
Decomposition CN scaling parameter
Photosynthesis parameters
Symbol
Parameter Name
Definition
Units
notes
8
\(A_{\text{max}}\)
aMax
Maximum net CO2 assimilation rate
\(\text{nmol CO}_2 \cdot \text{g}^{-1} \cdot \text{leaf} \cdot \text{s}^{-1}\)
assuming max. possible PAR, all intercepted, no temp, water or VPD stress
9
\(f_{A_{\text{max},d}}\)
aMaxFrac
avg. daily aMax as fraction of instantaneous
fraction
Avg. daily max photosynthesis as fraction of \(A_{\text{max}}\)
10
\(R_\text{leaf,opt}\)
baseFolRespFrac
basal Foliar maintenance respiration as fraction of \(A_{\text{max}}\)
fraction
11
\(T_{\text{min}}\)
psnTMin
Minimum temperature at which net photosynthesis occurs
\(^{\circ}\text{C}\)
12
\(T_{\text{opt}}\)
psnTOpt
Optimum temperature at which net photosynthesis occurs
\(^{\circ}\text{C}\)
13
\(K_\text{VPD}\)
dVpdSlope
Slope of VPD–photosynthesis relationship
\(kPa^{-1}\)
dVpd = 1 - dVpdSlope * vpd^dVpdExp
14
\(K_{\text{VPD}},{\text{exp}}\)
dVpdExp
Exponent used to calculate VPD effect on Psn
dimensionless
dVpd = 1 - dVpdSlope * vpd^dVpdExp
15
\(\text{PAR}_{1/2}\)
halfSatPar
Half saturation point of PAR–photosynthesis relationship
\(m^{-2}\) \ ground area \(\cdot\) day\(^{-1}\)
PAR at which photosynthesis occurs at 1/2 theoretical maximum
16
\(k\)
attenuation
Canopy PAR extinction coefficient
Symbol
Parameter Name
Definition
Units
notes
17
\(D_{\text{on}}\)
leafOnDay
Day of year when leaves appear
day of year
18
gddLeafOn
with gdd-based phenology, gdd threshold for leaf appearance
19
soilTempLeafOn
with soil temp-based phenology, soil temp threshold for leaf appearance
20
\(D_{\text{off}}\)
leafOffDay
Day of year for leaf drop
21
leafGrowth
additional leaf growth at start of growing season
\(\text{g C} \cdot \text{m}^{-2} \text{ ground}\)
22
fracLeafFall
additional fraction of leaves that fall at end of growing season
23
\(\alpha_\text{leaf}\)
leafAllocation
fraction of NPP allocated to leaf growth
24
\(K_{leaf}\)
leafTurnoverRate
average turnover rate of leaves
\(\text{y}^{-1}\)
converted to per-day rate internally
\(L_{\text{max}}\)
Maximum leaf area index obtained
\(\text{m}^2 \text{ leaf } \text{m}^{-2} \text{ ground}\)
? from Braswell et al 2005; can't find in code
Allocation parameters
Symbol
Parameter Name
Definition
Units
notes
64
fineRootFrac
fraction of wood carbon allocated to fine root
65
coarseRootFrac
fraction of wood carbon that is coarse root
66
\(\alpha_\text{fine root}\)
fineRootAllocation
fraction of NPP allocated to fine roots
67
\(\alpha_\text{wood}\)
woodAllocation
fraction of NPP allocated to wood
68
fineRootExudation
fraction of GPP from fine roots exuded to the soil[^exudates]
fraction
Pulsing parameters
69
coarseRootExudation
fraction of GPP from coarse roots exuded to the soil[^exudates]
fraction
Pulsing parameters
[^exudates]: Fine and coarse root exudation are calculated as a fraction of GPP, but the exudates are subtracted from the fine and coarse root pools, respectively.
Autotrophic respiration parameters
Symbol
Parameter Name
Definition
Units
notes
25
\(R_{\text{a,wood},0}\)
baseVegResp
Wood maintenance respiration rate at \(0^\circ C\)
g C respired * g\(^{-1}\) plant C * day\(^{-1}\)
read in as per-year rate only counts plant wood C; leaves handled elsewhere (both above and below-ground: assumed for now to have same resp. rate)
26
\(Q_{10v}\)
vegRespQ10
Vegetation respiration Q10
Scalar determining effect of temp on veg. resp.
27
growthRespFrac
growth respiration as a fraction of recent mean NPP.
28
frozenSoilFolREff
amount that foliar resp. is shutdown if soil is frozen
0 = full shutdown, 1 = no shutdown
29
frozenSoilThreshold
soil temperature below which frozenSoilFolREff and frozenSoilEff kick in
°C
72
baseFineRootResp
base respiration rate of fine roots
\(\text{y}^{-1}\)
per year rate
73
baseCoarseRootResp
base respiration rate of coarse roots
\(\text{y}^{-1}\)
per year rate
Soil respiration parameters
Symbol
Parameter Name
Definition
Units
notes
30
\(K_\text{litter}\)
litterBreakdownRate
rate at which litter is converted to soil / respired at 0°C and max soil moisture
g C broken down * g^-1 litter C * day^-1
read in as per-year rate
31
\(f_{\text{litter}}\)
fracLitterRespired
of the litter broken down, fraction respired (the rest is transferred to soil pool)
32
\(K_{soil}\)
baseSoilResp
Soil respiration rate at \(0 ^{\circ}\text{C}\) and moisture saturated soil
g C respired * g\(^{-1}\) soil C * day\(^{-1}\)
read in as per-year rate
new
\(K_{\text{meth}}\)
methOxidationRate
Rate of methane oxidation
day\(^{-1}\)
34
\(Q_{10s}\)
soilRespQ10
Soil respiration Q10
scalar determining effect of temp on soil respiration
39
soilRespMoistEffect
scalar determining effect of moisture on soil resp.
new
\(f_{\textrm{till}}\)
tillageEff
Effect of tillage on decomposition that exponentially decays over time
fraction
Per‑event in events.in; 0 = no effect
Nitrogen Cycle Parameters
Symbol
Parameter Name
Definition
Units
notes
new
\(N_{\text{min},0}\)
mineralNInit
Initial soil mineral nitrogen pool
g N m\(^{-2}\)
Initializes \(N_\text{min}\)
new
\(K_\text{vol}\)
nVolatilizationFrac
Fraction of \(N_\text{min}\) volatilized per day (modulated by temperature and moisture)
day\(^{-1}\)
Eq. (17)
new
\(f^N_{\text{leach}}\)
nLeachingFrac
Leaching coefficient applied to \(N_\text{min}\) scaled by drainage
day\(^{-1}\)
Eq. (18)
new
\(f_{\text{fix,max}}\)
nFixFracMax
Maximum fraction of plant N demand that can be met by biological N fixation under low soil N
fraction
Eq. (19)
new
\(K_N\)
nFixHalfSatMinN
Mineral N level at which fixation suppression factor \(D_{N_\text{min}}\) equals 0.5
g N m\(^{-2}\)
Eq. (19a)
Symbol
Parameter Name
Definition
Units
notes
40
\(f_{\text{trans,avail}}\)
waterRemoveFrac
fraction of plant available soil water which can be removed in one day by transpiration without water stress occurring
new
\(f_\text{drain,0}\)
waterDrainFrac
fraction of plant available soil water which can be removed in one day by drainage
\(d^{-1}\)
default 1 for well drained soils
41
frozenSoilEff
fraction of water that is available if soil is frozen (0 = none available, 1 = all still avail.)
if frozenSoilEff = 0, then shut down psn. even if WATER_PSN = 0, if soil is frozen (if frozenSoilEff > 0, it has no effect if WATER_PSN = 0)
42
wueConst
water use efficiency constant
43
litterWHC
litter (evaporative layer) water holding capacity
cm
44
soilWHC
soil (transpiration layer) water holding capacity
cm
45
$f_\text{intercept}
immedEvapFrac
fraction of rain that is immediately intercepted & evaporated
46
fastFlowFrac
fraction of water entering soil that goes directly to drainage
\(k_\text{SOM,drain}\)
47
snowMelt
rate at which snow melts
cm water equivavlent per degree Celsius per day
49
rdConst
scalar determining amount of aerodynamic resistance
50
rSoilConst1
soil resistance = e^(rSoilConst1 - rSoilConst2 * W1) , where W1 = (litterWater/litterWHC)
51
rSoilConst2
soil resistance = e^(rSoilConst1 - rSoilConst2 * W1) , where W1 = (litterWater/litterWHC)
Tree physiological parameters
Symbol
Parameter Name
Definition
Units
notes
53
\(SLW\)
leafCSpWt
g C * m^-2 leaf area
54
\(C_{frac}\)
cFracLeaf
g leaf C * g^-1 leaf
55
\(K_\text{wood}\)
woodTurnoverRate
average turnover rate of woody plant C
\(\text{y}^{-1}\)
converted to per-day rate internally; leaf loss handled separately
70
\(K_\text{fine root}\)
fineRootTurnoverRate
turnover of fine roots
\(\text{y}^{-1}\)
converted to per-day rate internally
71
\(K_\text{coarse root}\)
coarseRootTurnoverRate
turnover of coarse roots
\(\text{y}^{-1}\)
converted to per-day rate internally
Hard-coded Values
Parameter
Value
Description
C_WEIGHT
12.0
molecular weight of carbon
MEAN_NPP_DAYS
5
over how many days do we keep the running mean
MEAN_NPP_MAX_ENTRIES
MEAN_NPP_DAYS*50
assume that the most pts we can have is two per hour
MEAN_GPP_SOIL_DAYS
5
over how many days do we keep the running mean
MEAN_GPP_SOIL_MAX_ENTRIES
MEAN_GPP_SOIL_DAYS*50
assume that the most pts we can have is one per hour
LAMBDA
2501000
latent heat of vaporization (J/kg)
LAMBDA_S
2835000
latent heat of sublimation (J/kg)
RHO
1.3
air density (kg/m^3)
CP
1005.
specific heat of air (J/(kg K))
GAMMA
66
psychometric constant (Pa/K)
E_STAR_SNOW
0.6
approximate saturation vapor pressure at 0°C (kPa)