[AgMIP] Launching the Livestock group of AGMIP: grasslands and rangelands modelling activity

[agmip at lists.agmip.org]

Can we put something on the web about this???
Very exciting!!!
Jim

From: agmip-bounces at lists.agmip.org [mailto:agmip-bounces at lists.agmip.org] =
On Behalf Of agmip at lists.agmip.org
Sent: Wednesday, January 23, 2013 2:06 PM
To: agmip at lists.agmip.org
Subject: [AgMIP] Launching the Livestock group of AGMIP: grasslands and ran=
gelands modelling activity

Hi All,

Please see the exciting note below from Jean-Francois Soussana:

--
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
Dr. Alex C. Ruane
Research Physical Scientist, Climate Impacts Group, NASA GISS
2880 Broadway
New York, NY 10025
+001 212-678-5640
alexander.c.ruane at nasa.gov<mailto:alexander.c.ruane at nasa.gov>

________________________________
From: Jean-Francois Soussana [Jean-Francois.Soussana at paris.inra.fr]
Sent: Wednesday, January 23, 2013 5:00 AM
To: p.thornton at cgiar.org<mailto:p.thornton at cgiar.org>; p.masikate at cgiar.org=
<mailto:p.masikate at cgiar.org>; s.homan at cgiar.org<mailto:s.homan at cgiar.org>;=
 katrien.descheemaeker at wur.nl<mailto:katrien.descheemaeker at wur.nl>; lotte.k=
lapwijk at wur.nl<mailto:lotte.klapwijk at wur.nl>; a.vanrooyen at cgiar.org<mailto:=
a.vanrooyen at cgiar.org>; christian.biernath at helmholtz-muenchen.de<mailto:chr=
istian.biernath at helmholtz-muenchen.de>; val.snow at agresearch.co.nz<mailto:va=
l.snow at agresearch.co.nz>; pprogger at uniss.it<mailto:pprogger at uniss.it>; gian=
ni.bellocchi at clermont.inra.fr<mailto:gianni.bellocchi at clermont.inra.fr>; sh=
aoxiu.ma at clermont.inra.fr<mailto:shaoxiu.ma at clermont.inra.fr>; Andrew.Moore=
@csiro.au<mailto:Andrew.Moore at csiro.au>; ruget at avignon.inra.fr<mailto:ruget=
@avignon.inra.fr>; rolinski at pik-potsdam.de<mailto:rolinski at pik-potsdam.de>;=
 bcullen at unimelb.edu.au<mailto:bcullen at unimelb.edu.au>; philippe.ciais at cea.=
fr<mailto:philippe.ciais at cea.fr>; nicolas.viovy at lsce.ipsl.fr<mailto:nicolas=
.viovy at lsce.ipsl.fr>; Eyob.Tesfamariam at up.ac.za<mailto:Eyob.Tesfamariam at up.=
ac.za>; abubeker.hassen at up.ac.za<mailto:abubeker.hassen at up.ac.za>; pierluig=
i.calanca at art.admin.ch<mailto:pierluigi.calanca at art.admin.ch>; Peter.Thorbu=
rn at csiro.au<mailto:Peter.Thorburn at csiro.au>
Cc: Cynthia Rosenzweig (crr2 at columbia.edu<mailto:crr2 at columbia.edu>); Jimmy=
 Jones (jimj at ufl.edu<mailto:jimj at ufl.edu>); Jerry Hatfield (Jerry.Hatfield@=
ars.usda.gov<mailto:Jerry.Hatfield at ars.usda.gov>); Gianni BELLOCCHI; shaoxi=
u.ma at clermont.inra.fr<mailto:shaoxiu.ma at clermont.inra.fr>; RUANE, ALEXANDER=
 C. (GISS-6110); Carolyn Mutter; Jean-Marc Guehl; nathalie.breda at nancy.inra=
.fr<mailto:nathalie.breda at nancy.inra.fr>
Subject: Launching the Livestock group of AGMIP: grasslands and rangelands =
modelling activity
Dear colleagues,

The Agricultural Model Intercomparison and Improvement Project (AgMIP) is a=
 major international collaborative effort to assess the state of global agr=
icultural modeling and to understand climate impacts on the agricultural se=
ctor (see www.agmip.org<http://www.agmip.org>).

Within this program, we have agreed to launch a modeling group on Livestock=
 and Grasslands.
The aim is to intercompare and further develop a range of models to be appl=
ied internationally, especially for climate change impact projections.
The initial activities of the Livestock & Grasslands group were discussed d=
uring past AgMIP meetings (San Antonio, 2011 and Rome, 2012).
It was suggested to divide the work into two sub-groups:

- Grassland & rangeland modelling:  draft protocol already circulated (J.-F=
. Soussana & G. Bellocchi, leaders)
*       Focus on permanent grassland
*       Good datasets from Europe (INRA-Clermont Ferrand), South Africa, No=
rth America, temperate South America, New Zealand, Australia
- Livestock modelling: protocol to be developed (Phil Thornton, leader)
*       Big ruminants (beef, dairy), on several different diets --> meat pr=
oduction, liveweight gain, milk, ...
*       Small ruminants: goats, sheep (basically the same outputs)

We contact you to participate to the  Grasland & Rangeland sub-group with t=
he model(s) you are using.
Please find, attached, the protocol which has been discussed in Rome and th=
at is largely based on the crop protocols developed by AgMIP.
At present, we would like to formally establish the group and to launch Act=
ivity 1 within this protocol:

Activity 1: Calibrate the model parameters and evaluate the model performan=
ce (over at least five years of observational data)

As you will see this consists of: i) sensitivity tests for temperature, pre=
cipitation and CO2 concentration (see climate scenarios, attached), ii) mod=
el evaluation with data from a range of benchmark sites.

Please answer the following by return:
Q1. Do you agree to participate in the Grassland&Rangeland sub-group?

Q2. Which model will you be using? (see criteria in the protocol for model =
requirements)

Q3. Can you provide high quality data from a benchmark site? (see criteria =
in the protocol for data requirements)

Q4. Please indicate your key areas of interest for future group activities?

Activity 1 will be supported by the work of Shao Xiu MA, who is a post-doc,=
 based at INRA, France, with the help of Gianni Bellochi and me.
All data will be kept confidential and solely used for this collaborative p=
roject.

We plan for the following agenda during 2013:
End January: LAUNCH of the group; protocols circulated.
End February: All participants have confirmed and indicated their data/mode=
l availability.
End March: Benchmark sites have been agreed. Protocol has been agreed in al=
l details. A confidentiality agreement is signed so that data circulated in=
 the group are solely used for the purpose of model tests.
April: Sensitivity tests start with all models involved. A template is circ=
ulated to collect results.
End April : Environmental and management benchmark site data are circulated=
 to modellers for the blind test.
End June: Results from the blind test are collected in the agreed format.
September: Grassland&Rangeland Sub-Group meetings organized both in Europe =
and in Australia (during the International Grassland Conference, IGC 2013).=
 Results are discussed. If possible a first paper is planned.

With Shao Xiu, we will be glad to answer your questions/comments and to col=
laborate with you all for this major international project,
We will provide you soon an example of first results with the model we are =
using (PaSIM).

Best wishes,

Jean-Fran=E7ois Soussana and Gianni Bellocchi

--
Dr. Jean-Fran=E7ois Soussana
Scientific Director Environment
INRA
jean-francois.soussana at paris.inra.fr<mailto:jean-francois.soussana at paris.in=
ra.fr>
Phone: ++33 (0)1 42 75 92 50
Secretariat: ++33 (0)1 42 75 92 06
www.inra.fr<http://www.inra.fr/> ; www.facce.jpi.com<http://www.facce.jpi.c=
om/> ; www.animalchange.eu<http://www.animalchange.eu/>
--


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