AgroEnvironmental Modelling with Daisy
PhD School at the Faculty of SCIENCE at University of Copenhagen
The course is aimed at PhD students and Master students who want to specialize in agrohydrology and quantitative agroecological system analysis, working with agriculture and environmental modelling, within fields such as soil physics, environmental science and agronomy, giving the students an introduction to the 1D/2D DAISY agro-ecological model it covers the main processes in DAISY:
The course is divided into two parts:
A full time programme is arranged in the week just before block 1 (25.08.2025-29.08.2025). This will include a series of short presentations, each followed by hands-on group exercises where the students learn how to use the Daisy agroecological simulation model and to analyse a simple, pre-defined system. Specifically students learn how to prepare data for the model, how to run the model, and how to extract and analyse output from the model.
In the second part of the course, this knowledge is used in more realistic system analyses.
PhD students will formulate a scenario based on their own thesis work. The PhD students will individually formulate hypothesis based on their chosen scenario
For Master students there will be one or more-pre-defined scenarios to choose from, based on current research. Master students will in groups formulate hypothesis based on their chosen scenario.
All students will use the Daisy model to test these hypotheses. During this phase there will be no lectures, but consultations with teachers as per individual or group-agreement. The work will be documented in the form of an individual course report.
Aim and content
ECTS Credits:
The course is given at two levels:
Simple attendance in one full week = 2 ECTS
Full attendance in one full week and project work with written assignment and oral exam = 7.5 ECTS
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The course aims at PhD students working with agriculture and environmental modelling, within fields such as soil physics, environmental science and agronomy.
The aim of the course it to give the students an introduction to the 1D/2D DAISY agro-ecological model It covers the main processes in DAISY:
•Water flow (matrix and biopore flow)
•Solute transport (mineral N, DOC/DON, pesticides, particles, natural toxins, etc.)
•Heat transport
•Soil organic matter turnover
•Soil vegetation atmosphere transfer of water and energy
•Crop model, including a new dynamic litter (residues) layer on the soil surface
•Management practices (conservation vs conventional ag systems)
And recent developments in terms of N20, PFAS and python-extension.
The course includes a series of short presentations, each followed by hands-on group exercises where participants learn how to use the Daisy agro- ecological simulation model and analyze a simple, pre-defined system. Specifically, students will learn how to prepare data for the model, run the model, and extract and analyze output from it. Students are encouraged to present their scientific topics and their plans for testing their hypotheses/research questions using DAISY.
Formal requirements
A master within the fields soil science, environmental science, geography, agronomy or similar.
Specifically, knowledge, skills, and competences equivalent to what can be obtained from the master course Applied Agrohydrology I.
Learning outcome
Knowledge:
•The function of the major components in Daisy
•How the main components in Daisy act together
•How to find details on how the Daisy model function
•How to prepare input data for Daisy
•How to extract output for traditional model applications
Skills:
•Students can apply the Daisy model for traditional agroecological system analyses including effects on the water cycle (e.g. evapotranspiration and runoff), the carbon cycle (e.g. crop production) and the nitrogen cycle (e.g. nitrate leaching).
•Students can make use of the model for some more specialized analyses as for instance the leaching of pollutants like pesticides or natural toxins to ground water and surface waters.
Competences:
•Can extract and analyse relevant figures from model
simulations with Daisy.
•Can interpret results of this analysis and draw right conclusions.
•Can apply the Daisy model in testing the formulated hypotheses.
Target group
The course aims at PhD students working with agriculture and environmental modelling, within fields such as soil physics, environmental science and agronomy.
Teaching and learning methods
A full-time programme is arranged in the week just before block 1, last week in August (from 25.8.2025 to 29.8.2025).
The teaching will require active participation of students by means of exercises and real, targeted model work, discussions, group work, etc. The students must bring their own computers (Windows or Mac, not locked for software installation).
In the second part of the course, the knowledge obtained during the first week is used in a more realistic system analysis.
PhD students will typically formulate a scenario based on their own thesis work. The students will individually formulate hypothesis based on their chosen scenario and they will use the Daisy model to test these hypotheses. During this phase there will be no lectures as such, but consultations with teachers as per individual agreement. Some sessions may be arranged with general instructions and presentations by students of their project.
The work will be documented in the form of an individual course report.
Lecturers
Efstathios “Stathis” Diamantopoulos, Professor, Soil Physics, BAYCEER, Bayreuth Center of Ecology and Environmental Research, University of Bayreuth, Germany
Stathis will contribute with lectures on soil physics and water flow in soil, and how this is modelled in Daisy, during the first two days of the course,
Remarks
The course is free for PhD students enrolled at Danish Universities.
For other participants including Master students the course fee is DKK 4125 for the short course (2 ECTS) and DKK 9750,- for the long course including project work (7.5 ECTS).