Building a global phenology model

  • Caldararu Silvia, University of Edinburgh; Matthew Smith, Microsoft

Seasonal and year-to-year variations in leaf cover, also known as phenology, imprint significant spatial and temporal variability on biogeochemical cycles, and affect land-surface properties related to climate, but are as yet poorly understood. I will present a simple global model of phenology, based on the hypothesis that trees adjust their leaf gain and loss to achieve an optimal leaf area index (LAI). I will show how this strategy applies for tropical moist and dry forests and temperate deciduous regions.

Speaker Details

I am currently a fourth year PhD student in the School of Geosciences at the University of Edinburgh, looking at global scale vegetation models.

    • Portrait of Caldararu Silvia

      Caldararu Silvia

      PhD Student

      University of Edinburgh

    • Portrait of Matthew Smith

      Matthew Smith

      Scientist