Research Progress in Dynamic Vegetation Model Phenology Schemes

Plant phenology represents the periodical phenomena of individual plants in response to seasonal and interannual variations in climate and environment. In dynamic global vegetation models (DGVMs), the impacts of phenology on carbon flux and exchanges of water and heat between the land and atmosphere are considered through the changes in leaf area index (LAI). Phenology schemes in DGVMs and land surface models can be divided into three approaches: The use of satellite observational data, statistical models based on the relationship between phenology and climate, and dynamic models based on the carbon balance. In this paper, we divide plant phenology into two processes—the trigger of leaf onset/offset, and variation of leaf area throughout the phenological period—and then describe the general phenology schemes of these two processes applied in eight popular DGVMs. Finally, we provide perspective on the further development of phenology schemes in DGVMs.