Tristram O. West
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
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Featured researches published by Tristram O. West.
Global Change Biology | 2010
Xuesong Zhang; Roberto C. Izaurralde; David H. Manowitz; Tristram O. West; Allison M. Thomson; Wilfred M. Post; Vara Prasad Bandaru; J. Nichols; J. R. Williams
The potential expansion of biofuel production raises food, energy, and environmental challenges that require careful assessment of the impact of biofuel production on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, soil erosion, nutrient loading, and water quality. In this study, we describe a spatially explicit integrative modeling framework (SEIMF) to understand and quantify the environmental impacts of different biomass cropping systems. This SEIMF consists of three major components: (1) a geographic information system (GIS)‐based data analysis system to define spatial modeling units with resolution of 56u2003m to address spatial variability, (2) the biophysical and biogeochemical model Environmental Policy Integrated Climate (EPIC) applied in a spatially‐explicit way to predict biomass yield, GHG emissions, and other environmental impacts of different biofuel crops production systems, and (3) an evolutionary multiobjective optimization algorithm for exploring the trade‐offs between biofuel energy production and unintended ecosystem‐service responses. Simple examples illustrate the major functions of the SEIMF when applied to a nine‐county Regional Intensive Modeling Area (RIMA) in SW Michigan to (1) simulate biofuel crop production, (2) compare impacts of management practices and local ecosystem settings, and (3) optimize the spatial configuration of different biofuel production systems by balancing energy production and other ecosystem‐service variables. Potential applications of the SEIMF to support life cycle analysis and provide information on biodiversity evaluation and marginal‐land identification are also discussed. The SEIMF developed in this study is expected to provide a useful tool for scientists and decision makers to understand sustainability issues associated with the production of biofuels at local, regional, and national scales.
Climatic Change | 2015
Ian Kraucunas; Leon E. Clarke; James A. Dirks; John E. Hathaway; Mohamad Hejazi; Kathy Hibbard; Maoyi Huang; Chunlian Jin; Michael Cw Kintner-Meyer; Kerstin Kleese van Dam; Ruby Leung; Hong-Yi Li; Richard H. Moss; Marty J. Peterson; Jennie S. Rice; Michael J. Scott; Allison M. Thomson; Nathalie Voisin; Tristram O. West
The Platform for Regional Integrated Modeling and Analysis (PRIMA) is an innovative modeling system developed at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) to simulate interactions among natural and human systems at scales relevant to regional decision making. PRIMA brings together state-of-the-art models of regional climate, hydrology, agriculture and land use, socioeconomics, and energy systems using a flexible coupling approach. Stakeholder decision support needs underpin the application of the platform to regional issues, and an uncertainty characterization process is used to identify robust decisions. The platform can be customized to inform a variety of complex questions, such as how a policy in one sector might affect the ability to meet climate mitigation targets or adaptation goals in another sector. Current numerical experiments focus on the eastern United States, but the framework is designed to be regionally flexible. This paper provides a high-level overview of PRIMA’s functional capabilities and describes some key challenges and opportunities associated with integrated regional modeling.
Archive | 2009
Allison M. Thomson; Roberto C. Izaurralde; Tristram O. West; David J. Parrish; Donald D. Tyler; J. R. Williams
Using results from field trials of switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) in the United States, the EPIC (Environmental Policy Integrated Climate) process-level agroecosystem model was calibrated, validated, and applied to simulate potential productivity of switchgrass for use as a biofuel feedstock. The model was calibrated with a regional study of 10-yr switchgrass field trials and subsequently tested against a separate compiled dataset of field trials from across the eastern half of the country. An application of the model in a national database using 8-digit watersheds as the primary modeling unit produces 30-yr average switchgrass yield estimates that can be aggregated to 18 major watersheds. The model projects average annual switchgrass productivity of greater than 7 Mg ha-1 in the Upper Mississippi, Lower Mississippi, and Ohio watersheds. The major factors limiting simulated production vary by region; low precipitation is the primary limiting factor across the western half of the country, while moderately acidic soils limit yields on lands east of the Mississippi River. Average projected switchgrass production on all crop land in the continental US is 5.6 Mg ha-1. At this level of productivity, 28.6 million hectares of crop land would be required to produce the 16 billion gallons of cellulosic ethanolmorexa0» called for by 2022 in the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act. The model described here can be applied as a tool to inform the land-use and environmental consequences of switchgrass production.«xa0less
Archive | 2013
R. Cesar Izaurralde; Wilfred M. Post; Tristram O. West
Archive | 2010
Allison M. Thomson; R. Cesar Izaurralde; Katherine V. Calvin; Xuesong Zhang; Marshall A. Wise; Tristram O. West
Archive | 2011
Chad M. Hellwinckel; Tristram O. West
Archive | 2010
Chad M. Hellwinckel; Tristram O. West; Daniel de la Torre Ugarte; Robert D. Perlack
Archive | 2010
A. E. Schuh; Stephen M. Ogle; Kenneth J. Davis; A. Scott Denning; Thomas Lauvaux; Natasha L. Miles; Sandra J. Richardson; Astrid R. Jacobson; Arlyn Elizabeth Andrews; Marek Uliasz; L. I. Diaz Isaac; Tristram O. West; Daniel Cooley
Archive | 2010
Benjamin F. Zaitchik; Anthony W. King; Ning Zeng; Steven P. Hamburg; David Abbas; Tristram O. West; Gregg Marland; Stan D. Wullschleger
Agricultural Outlook Forum 2010 | 2010
Chad M. Hellwinckel; Daniel de la Torre Ugarte; Burton C. English; Tristram O. West; Kimberly L. Jensen; R. Jamey Menard; Christopher D. Clark