The Earth system model CLIMBER-X v1.0 – Part 2: The global carbon cycle

• Published in: Geoscientific Model Development
• Main Authors: M. Willeit, T. Ilyina, B. Liu, C. Heinze, M. Perrette, M. Heinemann, D. Dalmonech, V. Brovkin, G. Munhoven, J. Börker, J. Hartmann, G. Romero-Mujalli, A. Ganopolski
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Copernicus Publications 2023-06-01
• Online Access: https://gmd.copernicus.org/articles/16/3501/2023/gmd-16-3501-2023.pdf
• ISSN: 1991-959X; 1991-9603

<p>The carbon cycle component of the newly developed Earth system model of intermediate complexity CLIMBER-X is presented. The model represents the cycling of carbon through the atmosphere, vegetation, soils, seawater and marine sediments. Exchanges of carbon with geological reservoirs occur through sediment burial, rock weathering and volcanic degassing. The state-of-the-art HAMOCC6 model is employed to simulate ocean biogeochemistry and marine sediment processes. The land model PALADYN simulates the processes related to vegetation and soil carbon dynamics, including permafrost and peatlands. The dust cycle in the model allows for an interactive determination of the input of the micro-nutrient iron into the ocean. A rock weathering scheme is implemented in the model, with the weathering rate depending on lithology, runoff and soil temperature. CLIMBER-X includes a simple representation of the methane cycle, with explicitly modelled natural emissions from land and the assumption of a constant residence time of <span class="inline-formula">CH₄</span> in the atmosphere. Carbon isotopes <span class="inline-formula">¹³C</span> and <span class="inline-formula">¹⁴C</span> are tracked through all model compartments and provide a useful diagnostic for model–data comparison.</p> <p>A comprehensive evaluation of the model performance for the present day and the historical period shows that CLIMBER-X is capable of realistically reproducing the historical evolution of atmospheric <span class="inline-formula">CO₂</span> and <span class="inline-formula">CH₄</span> but also the spatial distribution of carbon on land and the 3D structure of biogeochemical ocean tracers. The analysis of model performance is complemented by an assessment of carbon cycle feedbacks and model sensitivities compared to state-of-the-art Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) models.</p> <p>Enabling an interactive carbon cycle in CLIMBER-X results in a relatively minor slow-down of model computational performance by <span class="inline-formula">∼</span> 20 <span class="inline-formula">%</span> compared to a throughput of <span class="inline-formula">∼</span> 10 000 simulation years per day on a single node with 16 CPUs on a high-performance computer in a climate-only model set-up. CLIMBER-X is therefore well suited to<span id="page3502"/> investigating the feedbacks between climate and the carbon cycle on temporal scales ranging from decades to <span class="inline-formula">&gt;100 000</span> years.</p>