Present Research:
Modelling terrestrial ecosystem interactions with climate and the carbon cycle
I am presently working on the Canadian Terrestrial Ecosystem Model (CTEM) and the Canadian Land Surface Scheme (CLASS). I have been developing and applying CTEM in collaboration with Vivek Arora, who initially created CTEM over a decade ago. Some recent work is listed below. All of the work on CLASS-CTEM will be incorporated into future generations of the Canadian Earth Sytem Model.
I am presently working on the Canadian Terrestrial Ecosystem Model (CTEM) and the Canadian Land Surface Scheme (CLASS). I have been developing and applying CTEM in collaboration with Vivek Arora, who initially created CTEM over a decade ago. Some recent work is listed below. All of the work on CLASS-CTEM will be incorporated into future generations of the Canadian Earth Sytem Model.
Simulating permafrost soils with CLASS-CTEM
Shrubs
Shrubs represent an important vegetation type in the high-latitudes and semi-arid/arid regions. Both of these regions are expected to undergo dramatic changes under projected future climate change. Incorporating shrubs will require modifications to several relevant land surface physics and biogeochemistry components of the CLASS-CTEM modelling framework including parameterizations of shrub height as a function of shrub biomass, snow loading/unloading and burial under snow, the physical structure of shrubs, albedo, photosynthesis, competitive interactions, and root structure. This work is key to the development of a more realistic representation of carbon cycle feedbacks and land surface processes in CanESM.
Global wetlands & methane
Wetlands are the largest natural source of methane and an important ecosystem globally. I started working on wetlands as a result of my Ph.D. research. I am interested to understand how wetlands respond to changes in climate especially rapid climate changes. Since my Ph.D. I have become involved in efforts to model wetlands and their methane emissions, inter-compare models, and investigate the differences between top-down and bottom-up model results. Some ongoing collaborations are listed below.
Wetlands are the largest natural source of methane and an important ecosystem globally. I started working on wetlands as a result of my Ph.D. research. I am interested to understand how wetlands respond to changes in climate especially rapid climate changes. Since my Ph.D. I have become involved in efforts to model wetlands and their methane emissions, inter-compare models, and investigate the differences between top-down and bottom-up model results. Some ongoing collaborations are listed below.
- Prognostic simulations of wetland areal extent and methane emission in CTEM
Examples of Past Projects:
Inverse modelling of forward model outputs: Can top-down models tell us where bottom-up models are going wrong?
Simulating wetlands in the West Siberian Lowlands: What level of model complexity is required?
Determining the influence of vegetation spatial representation in dynamic vegetation models
Net ecosystem exchange of carbon in the Amazon region
Simulating peatlands with CLASS-CTEM (with Yuanqiao Wu and Diana Verseghy)
The WETland and wetland CH4 Inter-comparison of Models Project (WETCHIMP)
Climate change adaptation planning for Northwest Skeena Communities
Methane dynamics across the Last Deglaciation – Insights from the carbon stable isotope record
