EPIC
Source: Commission modelling inventory and knowledge management system (MIDAS)
Date of Report Generation: Thu Mar 06 2025
Dissemination: Public
© European Union, 2025
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Overview
Acronym
EPIC
Full title
Environmental Policy Integrated Climate
Main purpose
EPIC simulates approximately eighty crops, predicting effects of management decisions on soil, water, nutrient and pesticide movements, and their combined impact on soil loss, water quality, and crop yields for areas with homogeneous soils and management.
Summary
The EPIC model was developed by the United States Department of Agriculture to assess the status of U.S. soil and water resources and has been continuously expanded and refined to better analyze the exchange of GHG fluxes between terrestrial ecosystems and the atmosphere. It is used around the world by research groupsinstitutions, like IIASA (International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis), who calibrate EPIC to meet their own needs.
It is a biophysical, continuous, field scale agriculture management model. It integrates a large number of biophysical processes and allows assimilation of Earth Observation products allowing for global calibration of environmental impact assessments. It simulates crop water requirements and the fate of nutrients and pesticides as affected by farming activities such as the timing of agrochemicals application, tillage, crop rotation, irrigation strategies, etc., while providing at the same time a basic farm economic account. The main components can be divided in the following items: hydrology, weather, erosion, nutrients, soil temperature, and plant growth. EPIC maintains a daily water balance taking into account runoff, drainage, irrigation and evapotranspiration. EPIC simulates nitrogen phosphorus cycling and losses. Nitrogen and phosphorus can be lost in dissolved and particulate forms. Losses occur through surface runoff, leaching to the aquifer, gaseous losses and sediment transport.
EPIC is used to assess the economic and environmental effects on agricultural and forest lands of enhancing carbon sinks and GHG abatement measures.
Model categories
Environment
Model keywords
agriculturenitrogen cyclephosphorus cyclepesticidesirrigationfarming practices
Model homepage
Ownership and Licence
Ownership
Third-party ownership (commercial companies, Member States, other organisations, …)
Ownership details
Licence type
Free Software licence
The license grants freedom to run the programme for any purpose; freedom to run the program for any purpose; freedom to study (by accessing the source code) how the program works, and change it so it does enable computing; freedom to redistribute copies; and freedom to distribute copies of modified versions to others.
Details
Structure and approach
The EPIC model was developed to evaluate the effect of various land management strategies on
agricultural sustainability including erosion, water supply and quality, soil quality, plant competition,
weather, pests, and economics. Management capabilities include irrigation, drainage, furrow diking, buffer strips, terraces, waterways, fertilization, manure management, lagoons, reservoirs, crop rotation and selection, pesticide application, grazing, and tillage. Besides these farm management functions, EPIC can be used to evaluate the effects of global climate change. EPIC is an application written in Fortan with the possibility to use a user friendly graphical interface (WinEPIC).
Input and parametrization
Model inputs:
- daily meteorological data
- soil profile information: texture, organic matter content
- landuse data with crop distribution
- farm management data: planting, harvesting, tillage, fertilization, pesticide application, irrigation
More specifically:
- regional and global weather/climate change data (statistics)
- regional and global soil data
- regional and global land use data and representative crop rotations
- regional and global topography data
- regional and global crop management data (e.g. fertilization, irrigation, tillage)
Main output
Model output:
- biomass production
- nutrient losses:
- nitrate losses ins surface runoff and leaching to aquifers
- organic N losses in sediments
- gaseous losses of N
- phosphorus leaching to aquifer and losses with sediments and surface runoff
- nutrient pool
More specifically:
- crop yields
- hydrology (PET, runoff, percolation)
- sediment transport
- N-leaching
- greenhouse gases
- soil carbon sequestrations
Spatial & Temporal extent
The output has the following spatial-temporal resolution and extent:
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| Spatial extent / country coverage | EU Member states 27Ecowas countriesAfrica |
| EU27+Switzerland and Turkey | |
| Spatial resolution | Regular Grid 10km - 50km |
| 10X10 km grid | |
| Temporal extent | Medium-term (5 to 15 years)Long-term (more than 15 years) |
| 1990-2010 | |
| Temporal resolution | MonthsYears |
| daily |
Quality & Transparency
Quality
Model uncertainties
Models are by definition affected by uncertainties (in input data, input parameters, scenario definitions, etc.). Have the model uncertainties been quantified? Are uncertainties accounted for in your simulations?
- response
- yes
- details
- Large body of literature is available including about model use & calibration.
- url
Sensitivity analysis
Sensitivity analysis helps identifying the uncertain inputs mostly responsible for the uncertainty in the model responses. Has the model undergone sensitivity analysis?
- response
- yes
- details
- Large body of literature is available including about model use & calibration.
- url
Have model results been published in peer-reviewed articles?
- response
- yes
- details
- Large body of literature is available about the model including peer reviewed articles.
- url
Has the model formally undergone scientific review by a panel of international experts?
Please note that this does not refer to the cases when model results were validated by stakeholders.
- response
- no
- details
- url
Model validation
Has model validation been done? Have model predictions been confronted with observed data (ex-post)?
- response
- yes
- details
- Large body of literature is available including about model validation.
- url
Transparency
To what extent do input data come from publicly available sources?
This may include sources accessible upon subscription and/or payment
- response
- Based on both publicly available and restricted-access sources
Is the full model database as such available to external users?
Whether or not it implies a specific procedure or a fee
- response
- no
- details
- An internal database has been built by the Water and Marine Resources Unit. It has been aligned when possible with the data used by the LISFLOOD model.
- url
Have model results been presented in publicly available reports?
Note this excludes IA reports.
- response
- yes
- details
Have output datasets been made publicly available?
Note this could also imply a specific procedure or a fee.
- response
- no
- details
- The model results, in particular those linked to estimation of irrigation have been made available.
- url
Is there any user friendly interface presenting model results that is accessible to the public?
For instance: Dashboard, interactive interfaces...
- response
- no
- details
- url
Has the model been documented in a publicly available dedicated report or a manual?
Note this excludes IA reports.
- response
- yes
- details
- User manual available from the website.
Is there a dedicated public website where information about the model is provided?
- response
- yes
Is the model code open-source?
- response
- no
- details
Can the code be accessed upon request?
- response
- yes
- details
The model’s policy relevance and intended role in the policy cycle
The model is designed to contribute to the following policy areas
- Climate action
- Environment
The model is designed to contribute to the following phases of the policy cycle
- Formulation – such as ex-ante Impact Assessments
The model’s potential
Not provided.
Previous use of the model in ex-ante impact assessments of the European Commission
Use of the model in ex-ante impact assessments since July 2017.
2018SWD/2018/249 final/2
Impact assessment accompanying the document Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council: on minimum requirements for water reuse
- Lead by
- ENV
- Run by
- European Commission
- Contribution role
- baseline and assessment of policy options
- Contribution details
The model helped to assess the following impacts:
- Emission of greenhouse gases
- Ability to adapt to climate change
- Availability or quality of Fresh- or ground water
- Drinking water
- Acidification, contamination or salinity of soil, and soil erosion rates
- Use of non-renewable resources