Factsheet | Modelling Soil Carbon and Greenhouse Gas Balances

This MRV4SOC Technical Factsheet explores the use of process-based and hybrid modelling approaches to assess Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) dynamics and greenhouse gas (GHG) balances across different European land-use systems. The factsheet presents the project’s work on benchmarking existing models, including RothC and Yasso, and developing an enhanced version of the ORCHIDEE land-surface model. It explains how modelling approaches are calibrated and evaluated using experimental observations, demonstration-site data and European greenhouse gas monitoring networks. Particular attention is given to representing different land uses and carbon farming practices, integrating carbon and nitrogen cycles, and assessing the impacts of land management on carbon storage and greenhouse gas emissions. The factsheet illustrates how modelling contributes to more comprehensive and scalable monitoring, reporting and verification approaches.