07/04/2026
Participants: 12
Quick recap
The meeting focused on two main topics: the CCI vegetation mapping for CABLE and preparation for the upcoming ESM/Land workshop. Lachlan presented the current CCI ancillary suite implementation for AM3, highlighting differences between the new mapping and existing AM3 land cover distributions, particularly regarding tundra classification and bare soil fractions. The team discussed challenges with model-specific requirements between JULES and CABLE, including different handling of bare soil and LAI calculations. For the workshop preparation, Alex sought community input on potential invited speakers, with suggestions made to reach out to land surface modeling groups in Australia, including Ben Smith’s and Jatin’s teams, rather than focusing solely on international speakers due to budget constraints. The workshop was confirmed for August 31st to September 2nd at the Angler Center in the CBD.
Next steps
- All: Provide ideas for supplementary datasets that would improve the current land cover maps (see this topic)
- Lachlan and Matt: Determine which types are most amenable to changing the current splits
- Lachlan and Matt: Add issues to the GitHub repository regarding the discussed problems with the CCI ancillary suite
- Alex: Take suggestions for invited speakers back to the workshop committee for consideration
- Alex: Consider options for ECR support and social events with the workshop committee
- Anyone interested: Contact Claire if they know someone with interesting content to present at our land working group meetings
Summary
CCI Ancillary Suite Update
Lachlan presented an update on the CCI ancillary suite for AM3, which is now operational but not yet science tested. He explained the process of converting the 38 land cover types from the CCI dataset to the model’s types, including handling permanent water and sea classifications. Lachlan showed a comparison between the new CCI-based land cover distribution and the current AM3 release, highlighting significant differences in vegetation patterns. He asked the group whether the first science-ready configuration should aim to match the current AM3 distribution patterns.
Differences between JULES and CABLE
It was noted JULES and CABLE codes handle bare soil differently. JULES add bare soil to create sparser vegetation whereas CABLE handles it within the code and considers bare soil to be actually barren. Rachel shared insights from Eva’s paper about differences in vegetation mapping between Moses, Cable, and Jules models, particularly regarding LAI values and bare ground distribution.
Land Cover Classification Challenges Discussion
The team discussed challenges with land cover classification, particularly regarding the separation of C3 and C4 vegetation types and the absence of tundra classification in the current CCI product. It was discussed bringing in additional information from IGBP although this is an older dataset. The workflow allows for bringing in additional steps after an initial classification step using a crosswalk table between CCI classes and CABLE PFTs.
The group agreed on the need to better document their data processing methods and avoid assuming current AM3 implementations are optimal, with Ian emphasizing the importance of proper provenance documentation and assessment.
The group also discussed the possibility of introducing specific handling for Australia in future versions and ensuring the workflow can generate both global and regional models at various resolutions.
ESM Coupled Land Workshop Planning
The team also discussed preparations for an upcoming September workshop, with Alex seeking input on how to allocate a limited budget, including options for social events, ECR support, or inviting an international speaker. They agreed to prioritize local or national speakers due to budget constraints and the workshop’s size, with suggestions made to reach out to Ben Smith’s group and Jatin’s group in Western Australia. The team also discussed the possibility of having a hybrid speaker who could present remotely, though this was not the initial plan. The workshop is scheduled for August 31st to September 2nd at the Angler Center in the CBD.