534-9 Spatial Comparison of Reliabilities of the EPIC and CERES Models in Simulating Sorghum Yields in the U.S. Great Plains.

Poster Number 204

See more from this Division: A03 Agroclimatology & Agronomic Modeling
See more from this Session: Climate and Crop Processes (Posters)

Monday, 6 October 2008
George R. Brown Convention Center, Exhibit Hall E

Xianzeng Niu, Earth & Environmental Systems Institute, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, William Easterling, College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park, PA, Cynthia Hays, School of Natural Resources, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE, Linda Mearns, Naional Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO and Larry McDaniel, The National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO
Abstract:
Different models often produce different results in crop yield simulations, even with the identical input dataset. In this study, we compared two prominent climate impact models, EPIC and CERES, in simulation of historical NASS county level grain sorghum yields in the southern and central U.S. Great Plains. Overall, the EPIC was about 10% more reliable than CERES under all range of climate conditions (normal or extreme). However both models demonstrated great spatial variability and important differences over the region. The EPIC model was generally superior to CERES in majority of the study area while CERES model showed slight advantages in the central NE and KS region. From the results of this study, we identified location, along with model type, as an important factor contributing to uncertainties in climate impact studies

See more from this Division: A03 Agroclimatology & Agronomic Modeling
See more from this Session: Climate and Crop Processes (Posters)