MONICA: A simulation model for nitrogen and carbon dynamics in agro-ecosystems

Abstract

Process-based simulation models that predict crop growth, evapotranspiration, nitrate leaching or other environmental variables are commonly applied for impact assessment on agricultural crop production or the environment. Algorithms of the dynamic, process-based simulation model MONICA are presented, which was developed for demonstrating the climate and management impact on crop yields and environmental variables on the plot scale and in smaller regions in Central Europe. A legal successor of the HERMES model, it maintains the simple and robust philosophy of its progenitor and adds a full carbon cycle model to it, including the feedback relations between atmospheric CO2 concentration and other environmental variables on crop growth and water use efficiency. MONICA is the central part of a web-based decision support system that helps farmers and other stakeholders in Germany identifying management options to mitigate the impact of the expected climate change on their business. MONICA has the potential to assess the impacts of climate change and land management on crop yields, carbon balance and nitrogen efficiency in Central Asia.