LPJGUESS

LPJ-GUESS is a dynamic global vegetation model that combines the LPJ framework with the GUESS modeling framework to simulate vegetation dynamics and biogeochemical cycles on continental and global scales. It represents vegetation with plant functional types that compete for light, water, and nutrients, and it simulates processes such as photosynthesis, respiration, phenology, mortality, and turnover.

The model typically includes carbon and nitrogen cycling, as well as soil moisture dynamics and the energy balance at the land surface. It is driven by climate inputs such as temperature, precipitation, and radiation, along with atmospheric CO2, soil properties, and, where available, land-use information.

Outputs from LPJ-GUESS include estimates of net primary productivity, biomass pools, leaf area index, soil carbon stocks, evapotranspiration, and surface energy fluxes. These results support investigations into vegetation distribution, carbon budgets, climate-vegetation feedbacks, and responses to climate scenarios or land-use changes.

LPJ-GUESS has been developed through international collaboration and is used in a range of climate and ecosystem research applications, including intercomparison projects and Earth system modelling efforts. The model is accompanied by documentation and parameter sets to help researchers configure and run simulations.