LDNDC

Run preflight_check.py first, then use the pipeline tools: convert forcing to climate.txt, generate site.xml from HWSD or VIC soil data, create management and setup XML, and execute the LDNDC binary via run_ldndc.py. The run_ldndc_bengbu_ghg.py script demonstrates the full end-to-end flow.

Use species name PADR (not RICE, which is an abstract base that silently yields zero output), select the paddy-specific module stack instead of the dryland MeTrX stack, and define explicit flood and drain events in mana.xml. All three fixes are required.

LDNDC has several silent failure modes: soil organic carbon given as percent instead of fraction inflates CO2 roughly 100x, Kelvin temperatures are read as Celsius, and mismatched species names are skipped silently. Check diagnostics/triplets.yaml and the unit conversion table before trusting output.

No. Absolute N2O is validated for Bengbu wheat-maize but underestimates 5-10x for NE China maize due to uncalibrated plamox GDD phenology parameters. Relative changes and direction of response remain scientifically valid; absolute values need regional GDD calibration.

LDNDC reads a tab-separated climate.txt with daily tavg (or tmin/tmax) in Celsius, precipitation in mm/day, wind, relative humidity, and optional radiation columns. Tools in the Skill convert CMFD, MSWX, NASA POWER, and VIC forcing into this format with correct unit conversions.