Coastal blue carbon model

[Ymande]

I am interested in working with the Blue Carbon model and would like to know if it is suitable for assessing a relatively small area of approximately 48 square kilometers?
Additionally, I want to evaluate seagrass blue carbon, focusing on habitat degradation throughout time rather than change in land use (the change will be less seagrass, maybe it could be described as a change to sandy bottom) can the Blue Carbon model accommodate this type of study?

[swolny]

Hi @Ymande -

The model should work fine in that small area.

Do you already have maps of where seagrass degradation occurs, such that you’d enter those as your land use snapshots? I could see assigning different land cover classes to different degradation levels, so the model knows that a change occurs there.

~ Stacie

[Ymande]

Hi Stacie,
thank you for your answer.
I’m at the beginning of the project, so I don’t have such maps yet. Now I’m at a stage where I’m trying to figure out what information I should collect and create for the specific model.
In addition to the model file on the website, do you have a course or training video specific to the model?

[swolny]

Hi @Ymande -

Unfortunately, we do not have a training video for Blue Carbon. Aside from the User Guide, the one other resource we provide is sample data that you can use to test the model, and use as a guide for how to format your own data. If you haven’t downloaded the sample data already, here are instructions.

~ Stacie

[Ymande]

Dear Stacie,
could you kindly explain the role of Coastal Blue Carbon Preprocessor (step one in the model)- how and where to use it? (where is it in INVEST)?
moreover, can you explain based on the file names in the example files which of them are actually the files referenced in the model guide

[image]
thank you,
Yael

[dcdenu4]

Hi @Ymande,

For the latest version of the InVEST Workbench, the preprocessor module is in the list of models right above the Coast Blue Carbon model.

I’d also recommend reading through this section of the User’s Guide. I think it does a pretty good job summing up the role of the preprocessor module.

Given land use land cover rasters that represent different scenarios or points in time, the preprocessor will generate a:

transition matrix produced by the coastal blue carbon preprocessor, and subsequently edited by the user , allows the model to identify where human activities and natural events disturb carbon stored by vegetation.

Here is the data needs for the Preprocessor which describes how the outputs can be modified by the user before entering them as inputs into the Coastal Blue Carbon model.

The Coastal Blue Carbon model input “Landcover Transitions Table” will be the output of the Preprocessor module. BUT, you’ll need to edit that table before inputting it:

You must edit the ‘disturb’ cells with the degree to which disturbance occurs due to the LULC change. This is done by changing ‘disturb’ to either ‘low-impact-disturb’, ‘med-impact-disturb’, or ‘high-impact-disturb’.

For the provided sample data you’ll notice an “inputs” folder and an “outputs_preprocessor” folder. The “outputs_preprocessor” folder has two transitions CSV files, one is a template that represents what the Preprocessor will outputs. The other is a sample file which has been edited (in the step mentioned above), and is ready to use in the Coastal Blue Carbon model.

Let us know if this still doesn’t quite clear it up!

Doug

[Ymande]

Thank you very much for the in-depth answer.
It is very helpful!
Yael