VEMAP 2: Annual Ecosystem Model Responses to U.S. Climate Change, 1994-2100

Phase 2 of the Vegetation-Ecosystem Modeling and Analysis Project contains annual model outputs from 1994 to 2100, driven by climate projections from the CCCma and Hadley Centre models. The dataset includes results from five biogeochemical cycling models and two dynamic global vegetation models, simulating plant production, nutrient cycles, succession, and fire. It is designed to evaluate terrestrial ecosystem sensitivity to altered climate and elevated atmospheric CO2.

Use Cases

• Comparing ecological responses of different biogeochemical models to transient climate scenarios based on projected climate data.
• Analyzing long-term trends in ecosystem functions like primary production and decomposition under elevated CO2 conditions.
• Validating dynamic global vegetation model simulations of succession and fire against historical biogeochemistry.
• Assessing the sensitivity of vegetation biomass and carbon storage to climate forcing across the contiguous United States.

Strengths

• Provides a long-term, century-scale projection from 1994 to 2100.
• Compares outputs from seven distinct ecosystem models, including dynamic vegetation models.
• Based on climate projections from two major climate system models (CCCma and Hadley Centre).

Limitations

• Specific column names and exact row counts are not provided in the available metadata.
• Conflicting license information: one source specifies 'other-license-specified' while another lists 'None'.
• The dataset's spatial resolution and grid format are referenced but not explicitly detailed.

Provenance

Source

Vegetation-Ecosystem Modeling and Analysis Project (VEMAP), a multi-institutional, international collaboration.

Collection Method

Model outputs from selected biogeochemical and dynamic global vegetation models run on gridded historical and projected climate data.

Time Range

1895-2100

Freshness

2026-05-14 09:34:31.668218

Geography

Contiguous United States (inferred from VEMAP grid format and project focus).