Sensitivity analysis of Biome-BGCMuSo for gross and net primary productivity of typical forests in China

Background: Process-based models are widely used to simulate forest productivity, but complex parameterization and calibration challenge the application and development of these models. Sensitivity analysis of numerous parameters is an essential step in model calibration and carbon flux simulation. However, parameters are not dependent on each other, and the results of sensitivity analysis usually vary due to different forest types and regions. Hence, global and representative sensitivity analysis would provide reliable information for simple calibration. Methods: To determine the contributions of input parameters to gross primary productivity (GPP) and net primary productivity (NPP), regression analysis and extended Fourier amplitude sensitivity testing (EFAST) were conducted for Biome-BGCMuSo to calculate the sensitivity index of the parameters at four observation sites under climate gradient from ChinaFLUX. Results: Generally, GPP and NPP were highly sensitive to C:N-leaf (C:N of leaves), W-int (canopy water interception coefficient), k (canopy light extinction coefficient), FLNR (fraction of leaf N in Rubisco), MRpern (coefficient of linear relationship between tissue N and maintenance respiration), VPDf (vapor pressure deficit complete conductance reduction), and SLA1 (canopy average specific leaf area in phenological phase 1) at all observation sites. Various sensitive parameters occurred at four observation sites within different climate zones. GPP and NPP were particularly sensitive to FLNR, SLA1 and W-int, and C:N-leaf in temperate, alpine and subtropical zones, respectively. Conclusions: The results indicated that sensitivity parameters of China's forest ecosystems change with climate gradient. We found that parameter calibration should be performed according to plant functional type (PFT), and more attention needs to be paid to the differences in climate and environment. These findings contribute to determining the target parameters in field experiments and model calibration.