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@ARTICLE{Leitner:1041117,
author = {Leitner, Daniel and Schnepf, Andrea and Vanderborght, Jan},
title = {{F}rom hydraulic root architecture models to efficient
macroscopic sink terms including perirhizal resistance:
quantifying accuracy and computational speed},
journal = {Hydrology and earth system sciences},
volume = {29},
number = {6},
issn = {1027-5606},
address = {Munich},
publisher = {EGU},
reportid = {FZJ-2025-02151},
pages = {1759 - 1782},
year = {2025},
abstract = {Root water uptake strongly affects soil water balance and
plant development. It can be described by mechanistic models
of soil–root hydraulics based on soil water content, soil
and root hydraulic properties, and the dynamic development
of the root architecture. Recently, novel upscaling methods
have emerged, which enable the application of detailed
mechanistic models on a larger scale, particularly for land
surface and crop models, by using mathematical upscaling.In
this study, we explore the underlying assumptions and the
mathematical fundamentals of different upscaling approaches.
Our analysis rigorously investigates the errors introduced
in each step during the transition from fine-scale
mechanistic models, which considers the nonlinear perirhizal
resistance around each root, to more macroscopic
representations. Upscaling steps simplify the representation
of the root architecture, the perirhizal geometry, and the
soil spatial dimension and thus introduces errors compared
to the full complex 3D simulations. In order to investigate
the extent of these errors, we perform simulation case
studies, spring barley as a representative non-row crop and
maize as a representative row crop, using three different
soils.We show that the error introduced by the upscaling
steps strongly differs, depending on root architecture and
soil type. Furthermore, we identify the individual steps and
assumptions that lead to the most important losses in
accuracy. An analysis of the trade-off between model
complexity and accuracy provides valuable guidance for
selecting the most suitable approach for specific
applications.},
cin = {IBG-3},
ddc = {550},
cid = {I:(DE-Juel1)IBG-3-20101118},
pnm = {2173 - Agro-biogeosystems: controls, feedbacks and impact
(POF4-217)},
pid = {G:(DE-HGF)POF4-2173},
typ = {PUB:(DE-HGF)16},
UT = {WOS:001454622300001},
doi = {10.5194/hess-29-1759-2025},
url = {https://juser.fz-juelich.de/record/1041117},
}