The Influence of Advection on the Short Term CO 2 -Budget in and Above a Forest Canopy

An experimental micrometeorological set-up was established at the CARBOEURO-FLUX site in Tharandt, Germany, to measure all relevant variables for the calculation of the vertical and horizontal advective fluxes of carbon dioxide. The set-up includes two auxiliary towers to measure horizontal and vertical CO₂ and H₂O gradients through the canopy, and to make ultrasonic wind measurements in the trunk space. In combination with the long-term flux tower an approximately even-sided prism with a typical side-length of 50 m was established. It is shown that under stable (nighttime) conditions the mean advective fluxes have magnitudes on the same order as the daily eddy covariance (EC) flux, which implies that they play a significant, but not yet fully understood, role in the carbon budget equation. The two advective fluxes are opposite and seem to cancel each other at night (at least for these measurements). During the day, vertical advection tends to zero, while horizontal advection is still present implying a flow of CO₂ out of the control volume. From our measurements, a mean daily gain of 2.2 gC m^–2 d^–1 for the horizontal advection and a mean daily loss of 2.5 gC m^–2d^–1 for the vertical advection is calculated for a period of 20 days. However the large scatter of the advective fluxes has to be further investigated. It is not clear yet whether the large variability is natural or due to measurement errors and conceptual deficiencies of the experiment. Similar results are found in the few comparable studies.     

Limitations of an eddy-correlation technique for the determination of the carbon dioxide and sensible heat fluxes

A modified infrared CO₂ gas analyzer, a small thermocouple assembly, a heated-thermocouple anemometer for horizontal wind, and a propeller-type vertical wind sensor were used to measure the eddy fluxes of heat and CO₂ above a corn crop. Experimental results of these fluxes are discussed. The main sources of errors of the eddy fluxes using these instruments were estimated:

1. Sensors with a time constant of 0.5 s appear to be fast enough to detect most of the vertical CO₂ transfer as long as the sensors are located at least one meter above the crop surface.
2. The deviation from steady-state conditions for 10-min periods was found to have a significant effect on the eddy flux estimates.
3. Temperature fluctuations of the air sample passing through the CO₂ infrared gas analyzer were found to be non-negligible but could be easily corrected.
4. A 1° misalignment of the vertical anemometer affected these eddy fluxes by less than 10% under all circumstances studied.

     

Aspects of CO2 advection measurements

Observations of vegetation–atmosphere exchange of carbon dioxide (CO₂) by the eddy covariance (EC) technique are limited by difficult conditions such as nighttime and heterogeneous terrain. Thus, advective flux components are included into the net ecosystem exchange (NEE) budget. However, advection measurements are experimentally challenging and do not always help to solve the night flux problem of the EC technique. This study investigates alternative methods for the observation of horizontal advection, in particular horizontal concentration gradients, as well as different approaches to coordinate rotation and vertical advection. Continuous high-frequency measurements of the horizontal CO₂ concentration field are employed and compared to the often used discontinuous sequential sampling. Significant differences were found in the case of 30-min mean concentration values between the conventional discontinuous sampling approach and the complete observation of the time series by continuous sampling. Estimates of vertical advection rely on accurate estimates of vertical wind velocity ( $\emph{w}$ ). Therefore, different approaches to the planar fit coordinate rotation have been investigated. Sector-wise rotation was able to eliminate directional dependencies of mean $\emph{w}$ . Furthermore, the effect of the data set length used for rotation (window length) was investigated and was found to have significant impact on estimates of vertical advection, with larger window lengths yielding about 50% larger vertical advection. A sequential planar fit with controlled window length is proposed to give reproducible results. The different approaches to the measurement and calculation of horizontal and vertical advection presented are applied to data obtained during the exchange processes in mountainous region experiment at the FLUXNET site Waldstein–Weidenbrunnen (DE-Bay). Estimates of NEE including advection are compared to NEE from turbulent and storage flux alone without advection. NEE including vertical advection with sector-wise planar fit rotation and controlled window length and including horizontal advection from continuous gradient measurements, which were comprehensively bias corrected by a new approach, did compare well with the expected night flux error, with meteorological drivers of the fluxes and with soil chamber measurements. Unrealistically large and noisy values of horizontal advection from the conventional discontinuous sampling approach, which lead to unrealistic values of NEE, could be eliminated by the alternative approaches presented. We therefore suggest the further testing of those approaches at other sites in order to improve the accuracy of advection measurements and, subsequently, estimates of NEE.     

Effects of heat and water vapor transport on eddy covariance measurement of CO2 fluxes

Flux densities of carbon dioxide were measured over an arid, vegetation-free surface by eddy covariance techniques and by a heat budget-profile method, in which CO₂ concentration gradients were specified in terms of mixing ratios. This method showed negligible fluxes of CO₂, consistent with the bareness of the experimental site, whereas the eddy covariance measurements indicated large downward fluxes of CO₂. These apparently conflicting observations are in quantitative agreement with the results of a recent theory which predicts that whenever there are vertical fluxes of sensible or latent heat, a mean vertical velocity is developed. This velocity causes a mean vertical convective mass flux (= _cw for CO₂, in standard notation). The eddy covariance technique neglects this mean convective flux and measures only the turbulent flux _c w. Thus, when the net flux of CO₂ is zero, the eddy covariance method indicates an apparent flux which is equal and opposite to the mean convective flux, i.e., _c w = – _c w. Corrections for the mean convective flux are particularly significant for CO₂ because _cw and _c w are often of similar magnitude. The correct measurement of the net CO₂ flux by eddy covariance techniques requires that the fluxes of sensible and latent heat be measured as well.     

Eddy correlation measurements of CO2, latent heat,and sensible heat fluxes over a crop surface

Eddy correlation equipment was used to measure mass and energy fluxes over a soybean crop. A rapid response CO₂ sensor, a drag anemometer, a Lyman-alpha hygrometer and a fine wire thermocouple were used to sense the fluctuating quantities.Diurnal fluxes of sensible heat, latent heat and CO₂ were calculated from these data. Energy budget closure was obtained by summing the sensible and latent heat fluxes determined by eddy correlation which balanced the sum of net radiation and soil heat flux. Peak daytime CO₂ fluxes were near 1.0 mg m^–2 (ground area) s^–1.The eddy correlation technique was also employed in this study to measure nocturnal CO₂ fluxes caused by respiration from plants, soil, and roots. These CO₂ fluxes ranged from - 0.1 to - 0.25 mg m^–2s^–1.From the data collected over mature soybeans, a relationship between CO₂ flux and photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) was developed. The crop did not appear to be light-saturated at PAR flux densities < 1800 Ei m^–2 s^–1. The light compensation point was found to be about 160 Ei m^–2 s^–1.Published as Paper No. 7402, Journal Series, Nebraska Agricultural Experiment Station. The work reported here was conducted under Nebraska Agricultural Experiment Station Project 27-003 and Regional Research Project 11–33.Post-doctoral Research Associate, Professor and Professor, respectively. Center for Agricultural Meteorology and Climatology, Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68583-0728.     

Assessing scalar concentration footprint climatology and land surface impacts on tall-tower CO2 concentration measurements in the boreal forest of central Saskatchewan,Canada

Reducing the large uncertainties in current estimates of CO₂ sources and sinks at regional scales (10²–10⁵ km²) is fundamental to improving our understanding of the terrestrial carbon cycle. Continuous high-precision CO₂ concentration measurements on a tower within the planetary boundary layer contain information on regional carbon fluxes; however, its spatial representativeness is generally unknown. In this study, we developed a footprint model (Simple Analytical Footprint model based on Eulerian coordinates for scalar Concentration [SAFE-C]) and applied it to two CO₂ concentration towers in central Canada: the East Trout Lake 106-m-tall tower (54°21′N, 104°59′W) and the Candle Lake 28-m-high tower (53°59′N, 105°07′W). Results show that the ETL tower’s annual concentration footprints were around 10³–10⁵ km². The monthly footprint climatologies in summer were 1.5–2 times larger than in winter. The impacts of land surface carbon flux associated with heterogeneous distribution of vegetation types on the CO₂ concentration measurements were different for the different heights, varied with a range of ±5 % to ±10 % among four heights. This study indicates that concentration footprint climatology analysis is important in interpreting the seasonal, annual and inter-annual variations of tower measured CO₂ concentration data and is essential for comparing and scaling regional carbon flux estimates using top-down or bottom-up approaches.     

The Validity of Similarity Theory in the Roughness Sublayer Above Forests

Flux-gradient relationships based upon similarity theory have been reported to severely underestimate scalar fluxes in the roughness sublayer above forests, as compared to independent flux estimates (for example, eddy covariance or energy balance measurements). This paper presents the results of a unique three-month investigation into the validity of similarity theory in the roughness sublayer above forests. Eddy covariance and flux-gradient measurements of carbon dioxide (CO²) exchange were compared above a mixed deciduous forest at Camp Borden, Ontario, both before and after leaf senescence. The eddy covariance measurements used a Li-Cor infrared gas analyzer, and the flux-gradient (similarity theory) measurements featured a tunable diode laser Trace Gas Analysis System (TGAS). The TGAS resolved the CO² concentration difference to 300 parts per trillion by volume (ppt) based upon a half-hour sampling period. The measured enhancement factor (the ratio of independent flux estimates, in this case eddy covariance, to similarity theory fluxes) was smaller and occurred closer to the canopy than in most previous investigations of similarity theory. Very good agreement between the eddy covariance and similarity theory fluxes was found between 1.9 and 2.2 canopy heights (h^c), and the mean enhancement factors measured before and after leaf senescence were 1.10 plusmn; 0.06 and 1.24 ± 0.07, respectively. Larger discrepancies were measured closer to the canopy (1.2 to 1.4 h^c), and mean enhancement factors of 1.60 ± 0.10 and 1.82 ± 0.11 were measured before and after leaf senescence, respectively. Overall, the Borden results suggest that similarity theory can be used within the roughness sublayer with a greater confidence than previously has been believed.     

Carbon dioxide,water vapor and sensible heat exchanges of a grain sorghum canopy

With the aid of eddy correlation instrumentation, the components of the energy budget and CO₂ flux were measured over grain sorghum grown at Mead, Nebraska. Diurnal patterns of sensible heat, latent heat, CO₂ and momentum flux are examined for typical days. On a mostly clear day when the crop leaf area index was 3.7, net radiation reached a mid-day peak of 560 W m^-2, while sensible and latent heat fluxes peaked at 50 and 460 W m^-2, respectively. The peak CO₂ flux occurring just prior to solar noon was 1.5 mg m^-2(ground area) s^-1. CO₂ flux (respiration from plants, soil and roots) in the early evening was about -0.28 mg m^-2 (ground area) s^-1.A relationship between CO₂ flux and photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) was developed. Except during the late stage of growth (growth stage 8.5, toward the initiation of senescence), the crop showed no evidence of saturation up to PAR 1800 Ei m^-2s^-1. The light compensation point was found to be about 211 Ei m^-2s^-1. Examination of CO₂ flux-PAR relationships for selected days through the season indicated an aging effect in terms of a decrease in photosynthetic activity of the sorghum canopy. Measurements made on two consecutive days demonstrate the effects of weather conditions on CO₂ flux and carbon-water flux ratio (a measure of water use efficiency of the crop). The occurrence of regional sensible heat advection with concommitant high vapor pressure deficit and air temperature-limited CO₂ exchange reduced the carbon-water flux ratio.Published as Paper No. 7717, Journal Series, Nebraska Agricultural Research Division. The work was conducted under Regional Research Project 11-33 and Nebraska Agricultural Research Division Project 27-003.Formerly Post Doctoral Research Associate (now at the University of Connecticut Department of Renewable Natural Resources Storrs CT)     

On Measuring Net Ecosystem Carbon Exchange Over Tall Vegetation on Complex Terrain

To assess annual budgets of CO₂ exchange betweenthe biosphere and atmosphere over representativeecosystems, long-term measurements must be made overecosystems that do not exist on ideal terrain. How tointerpret eddy covariance measurements correctlyremains a major task. At present, net ecosystemCO₂ exchange is assessed, by members of themicrometeorological community, as the sum of eddycovariance measurements and the storage of CO₂ inthe underlying air. This approach, however, seemsunsatisfactory as numerous investigators are reportingthat it may be causing nocturnal respiration fluxdensities to be underestimated.A new theory was recently published by Lee (1998, Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 91: 39–50) for assessing net ecosystem-atmosphere CO₂ exchange(N_e) over non-ideal terrain. Itincludes a vertical advection term. We apply thisequation over a temperate broadleaved forest growingin undulating terrain. Inclusion of the verticaladvection term yields hourly, daily and annual sums ofnet ecosystem CO₂ exchange that are moreecologically correct during the growing season.During the winter dormant period, on the other hand,corrected CO₂ flux density measurements of anactively respiring forest were near zero. Thisobservation is unrealistic compared to chambermeasurements and model calculations. Only duringmidday, when the atmosphere is well-mixed, domeasurements of N_e match estimatesbased on model calculations and chamber measurements. On an annual basis, sums of N_ewithout the advection correction were 40% too large,as compared with computations derived from a validatedand process-based model. With the inclusion of theadvection correction term, we observe convergencebetween measured and calculated values ofN_e on hourly, daily and yearly time scales. We cannot, however, conclude that inclusion of aone-dimensional, vertical advection term into thecontinuity equation is sufficient for evaluatingCO₂ exchange over tall forests in complexterrain. There is an indication that the neglected term,( c¯/ x), isnon-zero and that CO₂ may be leakingfrom the sides of the control volume during the winter. In this circumstance, forest floor CO₂ effluxdensities exceed effluxes measured above the canopy.     

Turbulent carbon exchange in very stable conditions

Turbulent fluxes obtained using the conventional eddy covariance approach result in erratic results with large time fluctuations in extremely stable conditions. This can limit efforts to estimate components of the nocturnal energy budget and respiratory CO₂ fluxes. Well-organized fluxes that show a clear dependence on turbulent intensity were obtained when multiresolution decomposition was used to estimate turbulent exchanges. CO₂, heat and water vapour fluxes were observed at a site in the eastern Amazon basin that had been cleared for agricultural purposes. Temporal scales of the carbon transfer were determined and shown to be similar to those of latent heat, but as much as three times larger than those of sensible heat. CO₂ eddy diffusivities at the temporal scales on which most of the vertical CO₂ exchange occurs are shown to be 50 times larger than the eddy diffusivity for heat. A process associated with the vertical scale of the scalar accumulation layer is suggested to explain these different scales and turbulent diffusivities of carbon and sensible heat transfer. For an appreciable range of turbulence intensities, the observed vertical turbulent carbon exchange is insufficient to account for the locally respired CO₂ estimated independently. Evidence that shallow drainage currents may account for this is given.     

Comparing CO2 Storage and Advection Conditions at Night at Different Carboeuroflux Sites

Anemometer and CO₂ concentration data from temporary campaigns performed at six CARBOEUROFLUX forest sites were used to estimate the importance of non-turbulent fluxes in nighttime conditions. While storage was observed to be significant only during periods of both low turbulence and low advection, the advective fluxes strongly influence the nocturnal CO₂ balance, with the exception of almost flat and highly homogeneous sites. On the basis of the main factors determining the onset of advective fluxes, the ‘advection velocity’, which takes net radiation and local topography into account, was introduced as a criterion to characterise the conditions of storage enrichment/depletion. Comparative analyses of the six sites showed several common features of the advective fluxes but also some substantial differences. In particular, all sites where advection occurs show the onset of a boundary layer characterised by a downslope flow, negative vertical velocities and negative vertical CO₂ concentration gradients during nighttime. As a consequence, vertical advection was observed to be positive at all sites, which corresponds to a removal of CO₂ from the ecosystem. The main differences between sites are the distance from the ridge, which influences the boundary-layer depth, and the sign of the mean horizontal CO₂ concentration gradients, which is probably determined by the source/sink distribution. As a consequence, both positive and negative horizontal advective fluxes (corresponding respectively to CO₂ removal from the ecosystem and to CO₂ supply to the ecosystem) were observed. Conclusive results on the importance of non-turbulent components in the mass balance require, however, further experimental investigations at sites with different topographies, slopes, different land covers, which would allow a more comprehensive analysis of the processes underlying the occurrence of advective fluxes. The quantification of these processes would help to better quantify nocturnal CO₂ exchange rates.     

Turbulent transport of carbon dioxide over a paddy field

Turbulent fluctuations in CO₂ concentrations over a paddy field are measured by a fastresponse device with an open sensing path. This IR device coupled with a sonic anemometer constitutes an eddy correlation instrument to measure CO₂ fluxes. Three experiments were conducted in the surface layer over paddy 90 cm high. The stability (z – d)/L ranged from -0.14 to 0.20, where L denotes the Monin-Obukhov length.CO₂ power spectra show the range of applicability of the -2/3 power law to be between f = 0.2 and f = 2, where f is the frequency normalized by wind speed and height. The cospectral estimate between CO₂ and vertical component of wind speed ranging from f = 0.005 to f = 2 shows a peak at about f = 0.15 under near-neutral stratification.Hourly means of CO₂ flux measured by the eddy correlation method increase with intensity of net radiation. The maximum value of downward flux of CO₂ rises to 0.6 mg cm^-2 hr^-1 over the paddy field at the stage of ear emergence.Some turbulence statistics relating to the CO₂ transport are evaluated: the correlation coefficient between CO₂ and vertical velocity is about -0.3, and that between CO₂ and humidity attains -0.7 ~ -0.8 under unstable stratification; nondimensional gradients _c for CO₂ and _m for wind speed are 0.89 and 0.99, respectively.     

Estimating the components of the sensible heat budget of a tall forest canopy in complex terrain

Ultrasonic wind measurements, sonic temperature and air temperature data at two heights in the advection experiment MORE II were used to establish a complete budget of sensible heat including vertical advection, horizontal advection and horizontal turbulent flux divergence. MORE II took place at the long-term Carbo-Europe IP site in Tharandt, Germany. During the growing period of 2003 three additional towers were established to measure all relevant parameters for an estimation of advective fluxes, primarily of CO₂. Additionally, in relation to other advection experiments, a calculation of the horizontal turbulent flux divergence is proposed and the relation of this flux to atmospheric stability and friction velocity is discussed. In order to obtain a complete budget, different scaling heights for horizontal advection and horizontal turbulent flux divergence are tested. It is shown that neglecting advective fluxes may lead to incorrect results. If advective fluxes are taken into account, the sensible heat budget based upon vertical turbulent flux and storage change only, is reduced by approximately 30%. Additional consideration of horizontal turbulent flux divergence would in turn add 5–10% to this sum (i.e., the sum of vertical turbulent flux plus storage change plus horizontal and vertical advection). In comparison with available energy horizontal advection is important at night whilst horizontal turbulent flux divergence is rather insignificant. Obviously, advective fluxes typically improve poor nighttime energy budget closure and might change ecosystem respiration fluxes considerably.     

Quantification of ecosystem carbon exchange characteristics in a dominant subtropical evergreen forest ecosystem

CO₂ fluxes were measured continuously for three years (2003?C2005) using the eddy covariance technique for the canopy layer with a height of 27 m above the ground in a dominant subtropical evergreen forest in Dinghushan, South China. By applying gapfilling methods, we quantified the different components of the carbon fluxes (net ecosystem exchange (NEE)), gross primary production (GPP) and ecosystem respiration (R_eco) in order to assess the effects of meteorological variables on these fluxes and the atmospherecanopy interactions on the forest carbon cycle. Our results showed that monthly average daily maximum net CO₂ exchange of the whole ecosystem varied from ?3.79 to ?14.24 ??mol m^?2 s^?1 and was linearly related to photosynthetic active radiation. The Dinghushan forest acted as a net carbon sink of ?488 g C m^?2 y^?1, with a GPP of 1448 g Cm^?2 y^?1, and a R_eco of 961 g C m^?2 y^?1. Using a carboxylase-based model, we compared the predicted fluxes of CO₂ with measurements. GPP was modelled as 1443 g C m^?2 y^?1, and the model inversion results helped to explain ca. 90% of temporal variability of the measured ecosystem fluxes. Contribution of CO₂ fluxes in the subtropical forest in the dry season (October-March) was 62.2% of the annual total from the whole forest ecosystem. On average, 43.3% of the net annual carbon sink occurred between October and December, indicating that this time period is an important stage for uptake of CO₂ by the forest ecosystem from the atmosphere. Carbon uptake in the evergreen forest ecosystem is an indicator of the interaction of between the atmosphere and the canopy, especially in terms of driving climate factors such as temperature and rainfall events. We found that the Dinghushan evergreen forest is acting as a carbon sink almost year-round. The study can improve the evaluation of the net carbon uptake of tropical monsoon evergreen forest ecosystem in south China region under climate change conditions.     

Continuous measurement of methane flux over a larch forest using a relaxed eddy accumulation method

We measured the methane flux of a forest canopy throughout a year using a relaxed eddy accumulation (REA) method. This sampling system was carefully validated against heat and CO₂ fluxes measured by the eddy covariance method. Although the sampling system was robust, there were large uncertainties in the measured methane fluxes because of the limited precision of the methane gas analyzer. Based on the spectral characteristics of signals from the methane analyzer and the diurnal variations in the standard deviation of the vertical wind velocity, we found the daytime and nighttime precision of half-hourly methane flux measurements to be approximately 1.2 and 0.7?μg?CH₄?m^?2?s^?1, respectively. Additional uncertainties caused by the dilution effect were estimated to affect the accuracy by as much as 0.21?μg?CH₄?m^?2?s^?1 on a half-hourly basis. Diurnal and seasonal variations were observed in the measured fluxes. The biological emission from plant leaves was not observed in our studies, and thus could be negligible at the canopy-scale exchange. The annual methane sink was 835?±?175?mg?CH₄?m^?2?year^?1 (8.35?kg?CH₄?ha^?1?year^?1), which was comparable to the flux range of 379–2,478?mg?CH₄?m^?2?year^?1 previously measured in other Japanese forest soils. This study indicated that the REA method could be a promising technique to measure canopy scale methane fluxes over forests, but further improvement of precision of the analyzer will be required.     

Comparative Measurements Of Co2flux Over A Forest Using Closed-Path And Open-Path Co2analysers

An eddy covariance system using a closed-path CO₂analyser was constructed for long-term CO₂flux measurements above a forest, and its total frequency response was valuated experimentally. The amplitude and phase responses of the system wereexamined through a preliminary test, in which a prescribed pattern of CO₂fluctuation was input to the system. The result showed that the amplitude of the output from the system was attenuated as frequency increased, with a half-power frequency of 0.3 Hz. The phase was delayed by the air sampling through a long tube, but the delay in phase decreased asfrequency increased. We then presented a new technique for the correction of flux loss due to the inadequate system response for the eddy covariance measurements of CO₂ flux. Using the present system and the correction technique, diurnal variations in CO₂ flux were measured over a temperate deciduous forest on three days in 1997. The results were compared with the CO₂fluxes measured with a fast response open-path gas analyser. The CO₂fluxes from the closed-path system agreed with those from the open-path system after the Webb, Pearman and Leuning correction was made for the latter. In the present test over a forest, the contribution of the frequency-response correction to the CO₂fluxes was small and its averaged percentage was only 3%in the daytime. However, the percentage would likely increase, if the system were applied to a shorter vegetation site where high frequency components are more important. The comparison confirmed that we can obtain correct measurements of CO₂flux using the present closed-path system and the correction technique.     

On the Significance of the Webb Correction to Fluxes

For establishing correct mass or energy balances at the Earth's surface, detailed and correct measurements of air constituent fluxes are needed. Flux measurements obtained from the eddy covariance technique have to pass several corrections of different relevance in order to give correct flux data. One of these corrections, the Webb correction, is analysed herein from latent heat flux and CO₂ flux data recorded during two field experiments. The significance of this correction for the latent heat flux data varies with the air humidity and the Bowen ratio. The correction changes the latent heat flux values only a little, but significantly (by 2 to 3%). For other air constituents (like CO₂), the Webb correction is much more important (20 to 30% of the flux).     

Energy Balance Closure Using Eddy Covariance Above Two Different Land Surfaces and Implications for CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> Flux Measurements

Components of the surface energy balance of a mature boreal jack pine forest and a jack pine clearcut were analysed to determine the causes of the imbalance that is commonly observed in micrometeorological measurements. At the clearcut site (HJP02), a significant portion of the imbalance was caused by: (i) the overestimation of net radiation (R _n ) due to the inclusion of the tower in the field of view of the downward facing radiometers, and (ii) the underestimation of the latent heat flux (λE) due to the damping of high frequency fluctuations in the water vapour mixing ratio by the sample tube of the closed-path infrared gas analyzer. Loss of low-frequency covariance induced by insufficient averaging time as well as systematic advection of fluxes away from the eddy-covariance (EC) tower were discounted as significant issues. Spatial and temporal distributions of the total surface-layer heat flux (T), i.e. the sum of sensible heat flux (H) and λE, were well behaved and differences between the relative magnitudes of the turbulent fluxes for several investigated energy balance closure (C) classes were observed. Therefore, it can be assumed that micrometeorological processes that affected all turbulent fluxes similarly did not cause the variation in C. Turbulent fluxes measured at the clearcut site should not be forced to close the energy balance. However, at the mature forest site (OJP), loss of low-frequency covariance contributed significantly to the systematic imbalance when a 30-min averaging time was used, but the application of averaging times that were long enough to capture all of the low-frequency covariance was inadequate to resolve all of the high-frequency covariance. Although we found qualitative similarity between T and the net ecosystem exchange (NEE) of carbon dioxide (CO₂), forcing T to closure while retaining the Bowen ratio and applying the same factor to CO₂ fluxes (F _C ) cannot be generally recommended since it remains uncertain to what extent long wavelength contributions affect the relationship between T, F _C and C.     

The Turbulent Lagrangian Time Scale in Forest Canopies Constrained by Fluxes,Concentrations and Source Distributions

One-dimensional Lagrangian dispersion models, frequently used to relate in-canopy source/sink distributions of energy, water and trace gases to vertical concentration profiles, require estimates of the standard deviation of the vertical wind speed, which can be measured, and the Lagrangian time scale, T _L , which cannot. In this work we use non-linear parameter estimation to determine the vertical profile of the Lagrangian time scale that simultaneously optimises agreement between modelled and measured vertical profiles of temperature, water vapour and carbon dioxide concentrations within a 40-m tall temperate Eucalyptus forest in south-eastern Australia. Modelled temperature and concentration profiles are generated using Lagrangian dispersion theory combined with source/sink distributions of sensible heat, water vapour and CO₂. These distributions are derived from a multilayer Soil-Vegetation-Atmospheric-Transfer model subject to multiple constraints: (1) daytime eddy flux measurements of sensible heat, latent heat, and CO₂ above the canopy, (2) in-canopy lidar measurements of leaf area density distribution, and (3) chamber measurements of CO₂ ground fluxes. The resulting estimate of Lagrangian time scale within the canopy under near-neutral conditions is about 1.7 times higher than previous estimates and decreases towards zero at the ground. It represents an advance over previous estimates of T _L , which are largely unconstrained by measurements.     

锡林浩特草原CO2通量特征及其影响因素分析

利用锡林浩特国家气候观象台开路涡度相关系统、辐射土壤观测系统,测得的长期连续通量观测数据,对锡林浩特草原2009—2011年期间的CO₂通量观测特征进行了分析。结果表明:CO₂通量存在明显的年际、季节和日变化特征。3 a中NEE年际变率达到200 g·m^-2,季节变率最大达到460 g·m^-2,日变化幅度生长季最大达到0.25 mg·m^-2·s^-1。通过不同时间尺度碳通量与温度、水分、辐射等环境因子的分析,认为CO₂通量日变化主要受温度和光合有效辐射影响,而季节变化和年变化主要受降水和土壤含水量的影响。降水强度及时间分布是制约牧草CO₂吸收的关键因素,大于15%的土壤含水量有利于促进牧草生长。