Vernier et al. (2025) A Soil–Plant–Atmosphere Continuum model coupled to CFD to simulate plant energy and water exchanges in heterogeneous microclimates

Identification

• Journal: Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
• Year: 2025
• Date: 2025-11-01
• Authors: J.‐P. Vernier, Sylvain Edouard, Baptiste Amiot, Martin Ferrand, Andrée Tuzet, Éric Dupont, Céline Caruyer, Mike Van Iseghem, Axel Becker, Didier Combes, Patrick Massin
• DOI: 10.1016/j.agrformet.2025.110906

Research Groups

• CEREA - Ecole des Ponts, EDF R&D Marne la Vallée, France
• EDF R&D - Dpt. Technology and Research for Energy Efficiency, Ecuelles, France
• EDF R&D - Dpt. Fluid Mechanics Energy and Environment, Chatou, France
• INRAE - UR4 - URP3F, Lusignan, France
• Université Paris-Saclay - INRAE, AgroParisTech, UMR EcoSys, Thiverval-Grignon, France
• EDF power solutions, Dpt Nouvelles Technologies, Nanterre, France

Short Summary

This study developed and validated a Soil–Plant–Atmosphere Continuum (SPAC) model coupled with Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to simulate plant energy and water exchanges in heterogeneous microclimates. The coupled model accurately assesses energy exchanges with a relative error less than 20% and successfully predicts soil water content evolution over several days, demonstrating its utility for agrivoltaic, agroforestry, and urban environments.

Objective

• To accurately model the intricate relationships between spatially heterogeneous microclimate conditions (short-wave and long-wave radiation, wind, turbulence, air temperature) and plant and soil energy/water exchanges to estimate plant growth conditions in complex environments like agrivoltaic, agroforestry, or urban settings.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Approximately 10 m² up to 1000 m²
• Temporal Scale: Single moments to several consecutive days

Methodology and Data

• Models used:
  • Soil–Plant–Atmosphere Continuum (SPAC) model (from A. Tuzet)
  • Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software code_saturne
  • Water balance model
  • Stomatal conductance model
• Data sources:
  • Experimental measurements from two French sites of the Integrated Carbon Observatory System (ICOS).

Main Results

• The coupled model achieved significant outcomes in assessing energy exchanges, maintaining a relative error of less than 20% compared to ICOS measurements.
• It accurately reproduced variations of latent and sensible heat fluxes due to radiation.
• The coupling of the water balance and stomatal conductance models successfully predicted the evolution of soil water content over several days.
• An extrapolative study demonstrated the model's capability to understand how obstacle-induced shadows and wakes affect plant temperature in fictive environments.

Contributions

• First implementation of the Soil–Plant–Atmosphere Continuum (SPAC) model within a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software (code_saturne) to simulate plant energy and water exchanges under spatially heterogeneous microclimates.
• Provides a comprehensive tool to assess the combined effects of multiple microclimate parameters (radiation, wind, turbulence, air temperature) on plant and soil energy and water balances, moving beyond single-parameter focus.
• Validated against real-world experimental measurements from ICOS sites, demonstrating its accuracy for energy exchanges and soil water content prediction.
• Opens new avenues for research and design in agrivoltaic, agroforestry, and urban greening contexts by enabling detailed microclimate analysis and its impact on plant physiology.

Funding

• Not explicitly stated in the provided text.

Citation

@article{Vernier2025SoilPlantAtmosphere,
  author = {Vernier, J.‐P. and Edouard, Sylvain and Amiot, Baptiste and Ferrand, Martin and Tuzet, Andrée and Dupont, Éric and Caruyer, Céline and Iseghem, Mike Van and Becker, Axel and Combes, Didier and Massin, Patrick},
  title = {A Soil–Plant–Atmosphere Continuum model coupled to CFD to simulate plant energy and water exchanges in heterogeneous microclimates},
  journal = {Agricultural and Forest Meteorology},
  year = {2025},
  doi = {10.1016/j.agrformet.2025.110906},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agrformet.2025.110906}
}