STSM with the Keenan Group at the Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, UC Berkeley

This summer, PhD candidate Konstantin Gregor from Technical University of Munich spent two months working with the group of Professor Trevor F Keenan at UC Berkeley on topics regarding ecosystem modeling and model evaluation.

by Konstantin Gregor


During his STSM, Konstantin worked together with the Keenan group on topics combining ecosystem modeling and observational data from ground measurements and remote sensing. The main focus was the familiarization with the FLUXNET network of eddy covariance measurement towers and the usage of this data to understand global trends in ecosystem productivity. It was also analyzed whether dynamic global vegetation models can accurately represent observed patterns. Konstantin furthermore worked together with visiting scientist Qiaoyun Xie using models to investigate the potential future impact of currently observed shifts in C3/C4 grassland composition in Australia.

Finally, the collaboration resulted in a variety of efforts to facilitate further modeling studies and reproducibility, for example by joint workshops on programming as well as the development of a Docker image for the dynamic global vegetation model LPJ-GUESS. This image could allow for a simple means of running the model out-of-the-box. It could aso allow for a simple means providing everything necessary to repeat an analysis of a modeling study.

Konstantin would like to thank TUM and Anja Rammig, the Keenan group, the PROCLIAS project as well as the Horizon 2020 Framework Programme to make this particularly fruitful STSM possible.

If you are interested in doing an STSM, please find more information here.