Paper Site EcoSIM Workflow

Overview

Use this skill to turn a modeling paper into an actionable EcoSIM site-simulation plan for AmeriFlux, FLUXNET, or ordinary literature sites worldwide. The workflow has two linked products:

• a site-by-site evidence table of observations and literature/data sources
• a procedure for preparing, running, and evaluating EcoSIM simulations for those sites

Do not edit source papers or model inputs unless the user explicitly asks for implementation.

Trigger Phrases

Use this skill whenever the request asks to read paper for ecosim feasibility, read the paper for ecosim feasibility, assess whether a paper can be simulated in EcoSIM, or judge EcoSIM feasibility from a paper/PDF.

Paper Reading Workflow

1. Identify the paper artifact: PDF, DOCX, HTML, plain text, supplement, or citation/DOI.
2. For local PDFs, extract text page by page with the bundled Python runtime. If pdftotext is unavailable, use pypdf. If text extraction is poor or tables are image-only, render pages or use OCR only for the needed pages.
3. Search the extracted text for:
   • Experimental sites, site, AmeriFlux, FLUXNET, location, latitude, longitude, coordinates, field site, study area
   • observed, measured, validation, calibration, data
   • variables such as biomass, LAI, GLAI, yield, NEE, ET, SWC, soil water, soil temperature, SOC, POC, MAOC, N2O
   • References, Supporting Information, Table, Figure
4. Build a site inventory. Normalize site IDs exactly when formal IDs exist, for example US-Ne1, US-Ne2, US-Ne3, US-Pon. For ordinary literature sites, create a stable concise ID from the site name, such as Forbonnet-peatland, and preserve the paper's exact site name in the table.
5. For each site, distinguish:
   • variables directly measured and used for calibration or validation
   • variables available only as management/forcing inputs
   • variables compared informally but not formal validation targets
   • variables explicitly unavailable or only simulated
6. Trace every observational variable to its source:
   • direct dataset DOI or portal record, such as AmeriFlux BASE
   • method or site-description paper
   • prior model-input paper
   • current paper figure/table if no external data source is cited
7. Report a compact table with columns:
   • site
   • location, coordinates, and cropping/vegetation system
   • observational variables available
   • calibration/validation role when stated
   • climate forcing route (NLDAS, ERA5, AmeriFlux/FLUXNET forcing, or paper-only)
   • cited source(s)
   • caveats

Avoid copying long passages from the paper. Summarize and cite.

EcoSIM Simulation Workflow

After the paper-derived site table is complete, use this workflow to prepare EcoSIM simulations. Assume the EcoSIM executable is ready unless the user says otherwise.

1. Resolve each site.

   • For AmeriFlux/FLUXNET sites, use ameriflux-site-info for metadata.
   • For non-AmeriFlux literature sites, extract coordinates from the paper, supplement, DOI landing page, or cited site-method paper. Convert DMS coordinates to decimal degrees and preserve the original coordinate string in notes.
   • Record latitude, longitude, elevation when available, country or region, site name, vegetation/crop identity, treatment structure, and years used in the paper.
   • If the site has a known Koppen label, convert it with koppen-climate-codec; otherwise derive it from coordinates.

2. Gather forcing and input data.

   • Use unified-ameriflux-extractor when a complete AmeriFlux input package is needed.
   • Choose climate forcing by coordinate domain:
     • If the point is inside the NLDAS domain (-125 <= lon <= -67, 25 <= lat <= 53) and the paper site is in the United States or otherwise explicitly intended for NLDAS coverage, use nldas-gesdisc-point-download.
     • For US/NLDAS-domain grids, also add EcoSIM annual precipitation-chemistry climate variables using the same NADP source used by US AmeriFlux workflows via ameriflux-atmchem-info: PHRG, CN4RIG, CNORIG, CSORG, CCARG, and any other template chemistry variables with available NADP rasters. Validate chemistry values and document gap fills or defaults.
     • Otherwise use era5-cds-point-download to download CDS ERA5 single-level point time series by longitude/latitude, then convert or stage it for EcoSIM climate forcing. If the non-US site also needs annual auxiliary precipitation chemistry, use global-aux-climate-chemistry after ERA5 conversion.
     • If the site is AmeriFlux/FLUXNET and has curated site forcing covering the target years, prefer the curated forcing for observational consistency, but still record whether NLDAS or ERA5 is the fallback route.
   • Use ameriflux-surgo-grid-extract for soil/grid variables, with documented fallback if gSSURGO is incomplete.
   • When an EcoSIM grid NetCDF is created, also create an editable Excel workbook sidecar with ameriflux-surgo-grid-extract/scripts/grid_netcdf_excel_bridge.py; prefer result/<SITE_ID>/<SITE_ID>_ecosim_grid.xlsx.
   • Use ameriflux-atmchem-info when atmospheric deposition or precipitation chemistry is needed.
   • Use ssp-ghg-atmgas-generator for future or scenario greenhouse-gas forcing; historical-only GHG files are not sufficient for post-2023 SSP runs.
   • Note what the user must download or provide before the workflow can run locally:
     • AmeriFlux or FLUXNET site data when using curated site forcing, including BASE/FULLSET meteorological CSV files and BADM/BIF management metadata for crop or managed sites.
     • NASA Earthdata access for NLDAS, or predownloaded NLDAS point forcing files covering the required years.
     • Copernicus CDS access and cdsapi configuration for ERA5, or predownloaded CDS ERA5 point NetCDF files for non-US or non-NLDAS sites.
     • US soil and chemistry source data when needed: gSSURGO_CONUS.gdb, NADP NTN precipitation-chemistry rasters, and EPA tDEP deposition rasters.
     • Non-US auxiliary chemistry sources when needed, such as CAMS, MERRA-2, EBAS, or EANET products selected by global-aux-climate-chemistry.
     • EcoSIM model assets that are not produced by extraction scripts, including the PFT parameter NetCDF catalog, atmospheric GHG forcing NetCDF, plant trait files, and any crop or treatment management records from paper supplements.
     • Observational datasets or paper supplement tables required for calibration and validation targets.

3. Build vegetation or crop management inputs.

   • Use ecosim-vegetation-code to map observed vegetation/crops to EcoSIM PFT codes and climate-code suffixes.
   • For natural ecosystems, use ecosim-natural-plant-mgmt.
   • For crop sites, construct year-specific planting, harvest, irrigation, fertilization, tillage, and rotation records from the paper, AmeriFlux metadata, supplements, or prior input-paper sources. Do not silently substitute natural-vegetation management for crops.
   • Create editable Excel workbooks for both PFT management and soil management before or alongside NetCDF conversion. Prefer result/<SITE_ID>/<SITE_ID>_pft_mgmt.xlsx and result/<SITE_ID>/<SITE_ID>_soil_mgmt.xlsx, then convert reviewed workbooks to the corresponding .nc and .json files with ecosim-natural-plant-mgmt and ecosim-soil-mgmt.
   • For repeated crop rotations, preserve the paper's calibration/validation years and document any assumed management before the observation period.

4. Prepare or verify plant traits.

   • Use existing crop trait files when they match the target crop and Koppen code.
   • Use ecosim-plant-trait-sanity-check on plant_trait.*.desc files before running.
   • For new species or unclear PFTs, use ecosim-trait-deriver or plant-trait-target-deriver, then rerun the sanity check.

5. Create the namelist and run folder.

   • Use ameriflux-namelist-generator.
   • For a runnable site case, read and follow ameriflux-namelist-generator/references/runfolder_workflow.md.
   • Default run folder layout:

/Users/jinyuntang/work/github/ecosim_workspace/croots/examples/run_dir/<SITE_ID>/
  <SITE_ID>.namelist
  output/

6. Validate before running.

   • Confirm grid, climate, PFT management, PFT parameter, atmospheric chemistry, and GHG paths resolve from the run folder.
   • Confirm forcing years cover the simulation chronology.
   • Confirm delta_time=3600. for hourly forcing.
   • Confirm output variables include the paper's observational targets.
   • Confirm crop management units, dates, and event ordering are physically plausible.

7. Run EcoSIM when requested.

   • Keep each site/case run folder separate.
   • Save logs and note the executable path or symlink assumption.
   • Do not overwrite prior outputs unless the user asks.

8. Evaluate against observations.

   • Match paper aggregation: daily, seasonal, annual, by crop year, or by soil depth.
   • Check sign conventions, especially NEE.
   • Convert EcoSIM output units before comparing to observations.
   • Use the paper's metrics when possible, such as index of agreement d, R2, RRMSE, and RMD.
   • Keep calibration data separate from validation data when the paper makes that split.

Output Contract

When the user asks for paper extraction only, report:

• study citation and DOI if available
• site table with variables and data sources
• unavailable variables or caveats
• exact source citations/DOIs for datasets and method papers

When the user asks for simulation procedures or run folders, also report:

• required EcoSIM input artifacts by site
• existing artifacts found and missing artifacts
• skill chain used to create missing artifacts
• run folder path and namelist path
• editable Excel workbook paths for the grid file, PFT management file, and soil management file
• forcing year range, spinup assumptions, and output targets
• climate forcing decision: US/NLDAS-domain versus ERA5/CDS, plus selected longitude/latitude
• validation checks completed and unresolved assumptions

Climate Forcing Selection Examples

• For a US AmeriFlux or literature site inside the NLDAS domain, such as Harvard Forest (US-Ha1, -72.1715, 42.5378), use nldas-gesdisc-point-download unless curated AmeriFlux forcing is explicitly preferred.
• For a non-US site, such as Jassey et al. (2013)'s Forbonnet peatland in the Jura Mountains, France (46°49′35″N, 6°10′20″E; decimal approximately 46.8264, 6.1722), use CDS ERA5 through era5-cds-point-download. The key paper-derived targets for EcoSIM feasibility include Sphagnum and vascular plant cover, microbial functional-group biomass, testate amoebae, Sphagnum polyphenols, DOC, dissolved N, NH4, NO3, PO4, total P, and water-table or water-content context.

Worked Example: Zhang et al. 2024 MEMS 2 Cropping Paper

For Zhang, King, Hamilton, and Cotrufo (2024), Representing cropping systems with the MEMS 2 ecosystem model, Agronomy Journal, DOI 10.1002/agj2.21611, the paper-reading extraction should identify:

• US-Ne1: Mead, Nebraska, irrigated continuous maize. Observations: aboveground biomass, GLAI/LAI, grain yield, NEE, ET, SWC at 10/25/50/100 cm, ST at 4 cm, bulk SOC stock at 0-15 and 15-30 cm in 2001 and 2005. Sources: Suyker (2023a) AmeriFlux 10.17190/AMF/1246084, Suyker & Verma (2009), Grant et al. (2007), Zhang, Suyker, and Paustian (2018).
• US-Ne2: Mead, Nebraska, irrigated maize-soybean rotation, later continuous maize. Same observation classes as US-Ne1. Sources: Suyker (2023b) AmeriFlux 10.17190/AMF/1246085, Suyker & Verma (2009), Grant et al. (2007), Zhang, Suyker, and Paustian (2018).
• US-Ne3: Mead, Nebraska, rainfed maize-soybean rotation. Same observation classes as US-Ne1. Sources: Suyker (2023c) AmeriFlux 10.17190/AMF/1246086, Suyker & Verma (2009), Grant et al. (2007), Zhang, Suyker, and Paustian (2018).
• US-Pon: Ponca City, Oklahoma, continuous winter wheat. Observations: aboveground biomass and GLAI from destructive measurements; 1997 was used for calibration and remaining data for validation. Sources: Verma (2016) AmeriFlux 10.17190/AMF/1246091, Hanan et al. (2002), Zhang, Suyker, and Paustian (2018).

Important caveats for this paper:

• POC and MAOC were not measured at the study sites.
• Formal validation beyond biomass/GLAI was limited to the Mead sites.
• SOC was compared but not treated as formal validation because historical management was incomplete.

For EcoSIM simulation of these sites:

• Treat US-Ne1, US-Ne2, and US-Ne3 as crop run folders with maize/soybean year-specific management.
• Treat US-Pon as winter wheat, and document management assumptions because the paper states detailed Ponca management was lacking.
• Use the AmeriFlux dataset DOIs and Zhang, Suyker, and Paustian (2018) to reconstruct site forcing, management, and calibration/validation windows.
• Include output variables needed to compare against biomass, GLAI/LAI, yield, NEE, ET, SWC by depth, ST, and SOC where available.