DrylandEcology/SOILWAT2: v7.0.0

• This version produces nearly identical simulation output as the previous release under default values for the new inputs. Small deviations arise due to a fix in the handling of soil moisture values when between field capacity and saturation.

• Multiple soil water release curves (SWRC) are now implemented and can be selected with new input swrc_name. Implemented SWRCs currently include "Campbell1974", "vanGenuchten1980", and "FXW". New input has_swrcp determines if parameters for a SWRC are estimated at run-time via an implemented pedotransfer function (PTF) based on new input ptf_name or if they are provided as inputs via new input file "swrc_params.in". rSOILWAT2 implements additional pedotransfer functions. See documentation entry of "swrc_ptf" for additional details and for guidance on how to implement additional SWRCs and PTFs (issue #315; @dschlaep).

• Soil density inputs can now represent either matric or bulk density (issue #280; @dschlaep).

  • Automatic conversion between matric and bulk density as needed using the new input type_soilDensityInput.

• Daily weather inputs that force a simulation are now processed all at once; previously, values were processed for one year at a time during the main simulation loop (issue #311; @dschlaep, @N1ckP3rsl3y).

  • Daily weather inputs are now obtained by readAllWeather() via SW_WTH_read() during SW_CTL_read_inputs_from_disk(), i.e., the same time as other inputs are read from files.
  • Then, weather values are "finalized", i.e., missing values are imputed (e.g., by the weather generator) and scaled with monthly parameters, by finalizeAllWeather() via SW_WTH_finalize_all_weather(); this must occur before the simulation is "initialized" by SW_CTL_init_run().

• SOILWAT2 gains the ability to calculate long-term climate summaries (issue #317; @N1ckP3rsl3y, @dschlaep).

  • New calcSiteClimate() calculates monthly and annual time series of climate variables from daily weather.
  • New averageClimateAcrossYears() calculates long-term climate summaries.
  • Both functions are based on rSOILWAT2::calc_SiteClimate() which was previously coded in R.
  • This version fixes issues from the previous R version:
    • Mean annual temperature is now the mean across years of means across days within year of mean daily temperature.
    • Years at locations in the southern hemisphere are now adjusted to start on July 1 of the previous calendar year.
    • The cheatgrass-related variables, i.e., Month7th_PPT_mm, MeanTemp_ofDriestQuarter_C, and MinTemp_of2ndMonth_C, are now adjusted for location by hemisphere.

• SOILWAT2 gains the ability to estimate fractional land cover representing a potential natural vegetation based on climate relationships (using new input veg_method) instead of reading land cover values from input files (issue #318; @N1ckP3rsl3y, @dschlaep).

  • New estimatePotNatVegComposition() estimates fractional land cover representing a potential natural vegetation based on climate relationships. This function is based on rSOILWAT2::estimate_PotNatVeg_composition() which was previously coded in R.
  • New estimateVegetationFromClimate() (which is called by SW_VPD_init_run()) uses veg_method to determine at run time if a simulation utilizes averageClimateAcrossYears() and estimatePotNatVegComposition() to set land cover values instead of using the cover values provided in the input file.
  • This version fixes issues from the previous R version:
    • The C4 grass correction based on Teeri & Stowe 1976 is now applied as documented (rSOILWAT2 issue #218).
    • The sum of all grass components, if fixed, is now incorporated into the total sum of all fixed components (rSOILWAT2 issue #219).

• New inputs via "siteparam.in" select a soil water release curve swrc_name and determine parameter source has_swrcp, i.e., either estimated via selected pedotransfer function ptf_name or values obtained from new input file "swrc_params.in". Default values "Campbell1974", "Cosby1984AndOthers", and 0 (i.e., use PTF to estimate paramaters) reproduce previous behavior.
• New input file "swrc_params.in" to provide parameters of the selected soil water release curve (if not estimated via a pedotransfer function) for each soil layer.
• SOILWAT2 gains type_soilDensityInput as new user input (siteparam.in) with default value 0 (i.e., matric soil density) that reproduces previous behavior.
• SOILWAT2 gains veg_method as new user input ("veg.in") with default value 0 (i.e., land cover are obtained from input files) that reproduces previous behavior.

Full Changelog: https://github.com/DrylandEcology/SOILWAT2/compare/v6.7.0...v7.0.0