Abstract:
The effects of disturbance history, climate, and changes in atmospheric carbon
dioxide (CO2) concentration and nitrogen deposition (Ndep) on carbon and water
fluxes in seven North American evergreen forests are assessed using a coupled
water, carbon, nitrogen model, canopy-scale flux observations, and descriptions
of the vegetation type, management practices, and disturbance histories at each
... site. The effects of interannual climate variability, disturbance history, and
vegetation ecophysiology on carbon and water fluxes and storage are integrated
by the ecosystem process model Biome-BGC, with results compared to site
biometric analyses and eddy covariance observations aggregated by month and
year. The model produced good estimates of between-site variation in leaf area
index, with mixed performance for between- and within-site variation in
evapotranspiration. There is a model bias toward smaller annual carbon sinks at
five sites, with a seasonal model bias toward smaller warm-season sink strength
at all sites. 
