Accurate estimates of terrestrial carbon uptake are required to strategise effective climate mitigation measures. Several remotely sensed and modelled global datasets are available for such purposes, none of which is developed using in-situ measurements from India. We objectively evaluated the performance of these datasets over India. We find that machine learning algorithms perform best over croplands and forests, whereas satellite observations perform better over grasslands.

We developed a framework to assess fire risk by combining weather conditions, vegetation, and human activity in tropical fragmented forest systems with India as an example. Using long-term fire observations and weather data from India as an example, we mapped where fires are most likely to occur. Results show that hot and dry weather drives fire risk, while landscape and human factors shape local patterns.

Croplands cover more than half of India, yet how they exchange water and carbon with the environment over time is not well known. Using long-term data from 1970–2014, this study shows that managment practices have large impacts. Irrigation and fertiliser use strongly boost crop growth and alter land–atmosphere exchanges, highlighting how management choices shape productivity and environmental outcomes across India.

The study aimed to improve the representation of wheat and rice in a land model for the Indian region. The modified model performed significantly better than the default model in simulating crop phenology, yield, and carbon, water, and energy fluxes compared to observations. The study highlights the need for global land models to use region-specific crop parameters for accurately simulating vegetation processes and land surface processes.

Carbon fluxes from agroecosystems change the carbon cycle and the amount of CO₂ in the air. Using the Integrated Science Assessment Model (ISAM), we looked at the carbon cycle in areas where spring wheat is grown. The results showed that fluxes vary a lot between regions, mostly because planting times are different. According to our investigation into which variables have the greatest impact on the carbon cycle, nitrogen fertilizers added to crops have the greatest impact on carbon uptake.