Modeling of influence of hydrological processes on the carbon cycle of a forest ecosystem

A coupled model of the hydrological and carbon cycles in a forest ecosystem is suggested. The model includes interception, vertical moisture transfer in the system “soil–forest vegetation–atmosphere”, heat balance and temperature variation of canopy, photosynthesis and its relation to the leaf temperature and stomatal conductivity, plant and soil respiration. The model was tested with data for a pine forest plot in central Canada carried out during the international experiment BOREAS. Most model parameters have been assigned on the basis of field measurements, several parameters were taken from publications; four parameters have been calibrated using the latent heat and CO2 measurements. Model results were in good agreement with the observed values for evapotranspiration, soil moisture, and net CO2 ecosystem exchange.