Modeling soil dynamic processes

This chapter discusses different approaches used to model soil dynamic processes: physical (temperature and water), chemical, and biological (nitrogen and carbon). It presents insights on the spatial variability of soils and their impact on yield variations as well as a case study of a multi-model ensemble to predict changes of soil organic carbon and its feedback to yield in sites across the world. Process-based models models use a mechanistic approach to represent the complex biophysical processes that influence greenhouse gas emissions and plant growth. These models simulate N₂O emissions derived from nitrification. Compared with nitrification, denitrification is more complex in terms of its biochemistry, and it produces N₂O as an obligate intermediate. New datasets for different agroecosystems, crop rotations, and agronomic practices that include high-frequency soil water, soil mineral N, and N₂O measurements are currently being developed.