RH Question

[kdorheim]

As part of cleaning up Hector's terrestrial carbon cycle component, I noticed that Rh != Rh_soil + Rh_detritus. Is this expected?

I suspect that this is because I am missing rh from permafrost.

Since final_rh includes rh_ftpa_co2_adj & rh_ftpa_ch4_adj

Question (1) should the rh_ftpa_ch4_adj be included there? rh_ch4 contirbutes to the [CH4] concentrations. I don't quite understand why this would count towards co2 land to atmosphere flux...

Question (2) however the when I try to calculate permafrost in R it is not what I would have expected. I could be doing the calculations wrong in R (see attached script), or is the missing rh carbon coming from elsewhere?

[kdorheim]

@bpbond your input here would be extremely helpful

[bpbond]

Question (1) should the rh_ftpa_ch4_adj be included there? rh_ch4 contributes to the [CH4] concentrations

Methane produced by the respiration of heterotrophic microbes is "heterotrophic respiration" but NO, not in the common use of the term, which is (as you say) only concerned with CO2. So that seems confusing at the very least.

I don't see a script attached, but my common-sense definition is that total heterotrophic respiration from the land surface to the atmosphere is rh_soil + rh_detritus + rh_permafrost, all C-CO2 terms.

[kdorheim]

Okay @bpbond first let's tackle Question (1)

Right now we have

final_rh[biome] =
rh_fda_adj + rh_fsa_adj + rh_ftpa_co2_adj + rh_ftpa_ch4_adj; // per year

We are in agreement that the rh_ftpa_ch4_adj term should be dropped. Since it is CH4 and not CO2?

[kdorheim]

Another thought, we could rename RH --> RH_CO2, since we do have an RH_CH4 would this help clarify things?