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https://github.com/ebimodeling/ghgvc

Ecosystem Climate Regulation Services Calculator
https://github.com/ebimodeling/ghgvc

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Ecosystem Climate Regulation Services Calculator

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README 

        



# Ecosystem Climate Regulation Services Calculator



This is the source code repository for the Ecosystem Climate Regulation

Services Calculator. Contributions, comments, bug reports, and

feature requests are welcome!



# Setup & Installation



This project uses Docker to manage dependencies.



1. Install [Docker Community Edition](https://store.docker.com/search?offering=community&type=edition) for your OS



2. Clone the rails application:



    git clone [email protected]:rubyforgood/ghgvc.git --depth 1 && cd ghgvc



# Building & running the application



Ensure Docker is running, the ghgvc app is cloned, and you've navigated to your ghgvc repo.



1. Build Docker:



    docker-compose build



2. Download the required netcdf files



    docker-compose run --rm ghgvcr ./download-netcdf.sh



    > This stores the netcdf data in a volume that will persist across containers



3. Bundle install:



    docker-compose run --rm app bundle



    > This stores the downloaded gems in a volume that will persist across containers



4. Run the application:



    docker-compose up app



5. Navigate to http://localhost:3000/ in your web browser.



  *  If clicking on the map does not return ecosystems, ensure that data was downloaded:



  ```

docker-compose run --rm ghgvcr bash

cd data

ls

```

  * This should show a file `name_indexed_ecosystems.json`, and two directories: `maps` and `netcdf`. If it is empty, try:

  ```

  docker-compose down # stop everything

  docker-compose up get_data # should re-download & un-zip the data

  ```

  * If there is still an issue, try:

  ```

  docker-compose down # stop everything

  docker-compose volume rm ghgvc_netcdf-data # removes the volume

  docker-compose up get_data # should re-download & un-zip the data

  ```

  * `ghgvc_netcdf-data` name should be the name of the volume. If that command fails, try `docker volume ls` and look for one that matches on the netcdf-data

   * If all of the above fails (if you can't force it to stop with docker-compose or docker commands), try restarting either docker or your machine (sometimes both; it usually means the container was put into a state that it shouldn't be).



# Development & Test



* Enter the Rails console:

```

docker-compose run --rm app bin/rails c

```

* Run all tests:

```

docker-compose run --rm app rspec

```

* Run a singular test:

```

docker-compose run --rm app rspec spec/

```



# About the Ecosystem Climate Regulation Services Calculator



Ecosystems regulate climate through both greenhouse-gas exchange with

the atmosphere (biogeochemical mechanisms) and regulation of land

surface energy and water balances (biophysical mechanisms). The exchange

of carbon dioxide (CO~2~) and other greenhouse gases (N~2~O, CH~4~)

between ecosystems and the atmosphere influences climate. For example,

forests remove CO~2~ from the atmosphere as they grow, croplands release

the potent greenhouse gas N~2~O as a byproduct of fertilization, and

deforestation releases large amounts of CO~2~ and other greenhouse

gasses to the atmosphere. Beyond this, ecosystems also influence climate

through absorption of incoming solar radiation (dependent upon their

reflectivity, or *albedo*) and the transfer of heat by evaporation

(latent heat flux-a process analogous to sweating). Efforts aimed at

climate change mitigation through land management quantify greenhouse

gas exchange, but do not account for the biophysical exchanges, which in

some cases can be quite significant.



Recently, researchers proposed an integrated index of the climate

regulation value (CRV) of terrestrial ecosystems (Anderson-Teixeira *et

al.*, 2012a; Hungate & Hampton, 2012), which combines a previous metric

of the greenhouse gas value of ecosystems (GHGV; Anderson-Teixeira &

DeLucia, 2011) with biophysical climate regulation services to show the

climate regulation services of ecosystems in CO~2~ equivalents - a

common currency for carbon accounting. This is the most comprehensive

existing metric of ecosystem climate regulation services, and it sets

the stage for thorough accounting of climate regulation services in

initiatives aimed at climate protection through land management

(Anderson-Teixeira *et al.*, 2011; Hungate & Hampton, 2012).



The CRV calculator is a publically available web-based tool for

estimating *CRV* (or *GHGV*) for ecosystems globally. It uses global

maps of climatically significant ecosystem properties (for example,

biomass, soil carbon, biophysical services) to provide location-specific

CRV estimates.



# Applications



The Ecosystem Climate Regulation Services Calculator has potential

applications in a variety of fields. Below are some examples.



## Conservation



This calculator can be used to determine which areas of potential

conservation interest are the most beneficial in terms of their net

effect on the climate. This information can then be used to help make

land conservation decisions and inform the general public about the

climate benefits of conserving lands.



## Sustainability Science



The calculator can be used to evaluate the climate consequences of

various land use decisions. For instance, the calculator can be used to

evaluate the impacts of various bioenergy production strategies

(Anderson-Teixeira *et al.*, 2012b; Buckeridge *et al.*, 2012). It could

also be used in determining the value of land when designing

infrastructure projects, such as dams or highways.



## Education



The calculator can be used to educate students or the general public

about the climate regulation services of ecosystems around the globe.

For example, by using the calculator to research ecosystems in areas

where land use change is occurring, students will gain a greater

understanding of the issues surrounding land use and conservation

decisions. They can also use the calculator to learn more about the

local ecosystems with which they are familiar.



## Business



Increasing public interest in sustainable business practices creates a

need for conscientious businesses to evaluate the climate impact of

business decisions, including those that affect land use patterns. For

example, the calculator might be used to evaluate the climate impacts of

land use change related to bioenergy production.



## Policy



Policy decisions regarding the conservation of domestic lands or those

affecting international land use patterns can benefit from the most

complete information possible regarding the impact of those decisions on

climate. Policies aimed at climate protection through land management,

including REDD+ and bioenergy sustainability standards, account for

greenhouse gasses but not for biophysical processes that can sometimes

outweigh greenhouse gas effects (Anderson-Teixeira *et al.*, 2011,

2012a). This calculator incorporates both greenhouse gases and

biophysical climate regulation services, thereby providing a better

understanding of the climate impacts of various policies.



## Further Reading



Anderson-Teixeira KJ, Snyder PK, DeLucia EH (2011) Do biofuels life

cycle analyses accurately quantify the climate impacts of

biofuels-related land use change? *Illinois Law Review*, 2011, 589-622.



Anderson-Teixeira KJ, Snyder PK, Twine TE, Cuadra SV, Costa MH, DeLucia

EH (2012a) Climate-regulation services of natural and agricultural

ecoregions of the Americas. *Nature Climate Change*, 2, 177-181.



Anderson-Teixeira KJ, Duval BD, Long SP, DeLucia EH (2012b) Biofuels on

the landscape: Is land sharing? preferable to land sparing? *Ecological

Applications*, 22, 2035-2048.



Anderson-Teixeira KJ, DeLucia EH (2011) The greenhouse gas value of

ecosystems. *Global Change Biology*, 17, 425-438.



Buckeridge MS, Souza AP, Arundale RA, Anderson-Teixeira KJ, DeLucia E

(2012) Ethanol from sugarcane in Brazil: a "midway"? strategy for

increasing ethanol production while maximizing environmental benefits.

*GCB Bioenergy*, 4, 119-126.



Hungate BA, Hampton HM (2012) Ecosystem services: Valuing ecosystems for

climate. *Nature Climate Change*, 2, 151-152.