Regional-scale data assimilation with the Spatially Explicit Individual-based Dynamic Global Vegetation Model (SEIB-DGVM) over Siberia

This study examined the regional performance of a data assimilation (DA) system that couples the particle filter and the Spatially Explicit Individual-based Dynamic Global Vegetation Model (SEIB-DGVM). This DA system optimizes model parameters of defoliation and photosynthetic rate, which are sensitive to phenology in the SEIB-DGVM, by assimilating satellite-observed leaf area index (LAI). The experiments without DA overestimated LAIs over Siberia relative to the satellite-observed LAI, whereas the DA system successfully reduced the error. DA provided improved analyses for the LAI and other model variables consistently, with better match with satellite observed LAI and with previous studies for spatial distributions of the estimated overstory LAI, gross primary production (GPP), and aboveground biomass. However, three main issues still exist: (1) the estimated start date of defoliation for overstory was about 40 days earlier than the in situ observation, (2) the estimated LAI for understory was about half of the in situ observation, and (3) the estimated overstory LAI and the total GPP were overestimated compared to the previous studies. Further DA and modeling studies are needed to address these issues.