scholarly journals Intercomparison of Nine Micrometeorological Stations during the BEAREX08 Field Campaign

2011 ◽  
Vol 28 (11) ◽  
pp. 1390-1406 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph G. Alfieri ◽  
William P. Kustas ◽  
John H. Prueger ◽  
Lawrence E. Hipps ◽  
José L. Chávez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Measurement Uncertainty ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Flux ◽  
Sensible Heat ◽  
Environmental Processes ◽  
Uncertainty Estimates ◽  
Flux Measurements ◽  
Uncertainty Analyses ◽  
Using Data

Abstract Land–atmosphere interactions play a critical role in regulating numerous meteorological, hydrological, and environmental processes. Investigating these processes often requires multiple measurement sites representing a range of surface conditions. Before these measurements can be compared, however, it is imperative that the differences among the instrumentation systems are fully characterized. Using data collected as a part of the 2008 Bushland Evapotranspiration and Agricultural Remote Sensing Experiment (BEAREX08), measurements from nine collocated eddy covariance (EC) systems were compared with the twofold objective of 1) characterizing the interinstrument variation in the measurements, and 2) quantifying the measurement uncertainty associated with each system. Focusing on the three turbulent fluxes (heat, water vapor, and carbon dioxide), this study evaluated the measurement uncertainty using multiple techniques. The results of the analyses indicated that there could be substantial variability in the uncertainty estimates because of the advective conditions that characterized the study site during the afternoon and evening hours. However, when the analysis was limited to nonadvective, quasi-normal conditions, the response of the nine EC stations were remarkably similar. For the daytime period, both the method of Hollinger and Richardson and the method of Mann and Lenschow indicated that the uncertainty in the measurements of sensible heat, latent heat, and carbon dioxide flux were approximately 13 W m−2, 27 W m−2, and 0.10 mg m−2 s−1, respectively. Based on the results of this study, it is clear that advection can greatly increase the uncertainty associated with EC flux measurements. Since these conditions, as well as other phenomena that could impact the measurement uncertainty, are often intermittent, it may be beneficial to conduct uncertainty analyses on an ongoing basis.

scholarly journals Dried, closed-path eddy covariance method for measuring carbon dioxide flux over sea ice

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 6075-6090 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian J. Butterworth ◽  
Brent G. T. Else
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Sea Ice ◽  
Eddy Covariance ◽  
Co2 Flux ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Flux ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Closed Path ◽  
Eddy Covariance Method ◽  
Open Path ◽  
Flux Measurements

Abstract. The Arctic marine environment plays an important role in the global carbon cycle. However, there remain large uncertainties in how sea ice affects air–sea fluxes of carbon dioxide (CO2), partially due to disagreement between the two main methods (enclosure and eddy covariance) for measuring CO2 flux (FCO2). The enclosure method has appeared to produce more credible FCO2 than eddy covariance (EC), but is not suited for collecting long-term, ecosystem-scale flux datasets in such remote regions. Here we describe the design and performance of an EC system to measure FCO2 over landfast sea ice that addresses the shortcomings of previous EC systems. The system was installed on a 10 m tower on Qikirtaarjuk Island – a small rock outcrop in Dease Strait located roughly 35 km west of Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. The system incorporates recent developments in the field of air–sea gas exchange by measuring atmospheric CO2 using a closed-path infrared gas analyzer (IRGA) with a dried sample airstream, thus avoiding the known water vapor issues associated with using open-path IRGAs in low-flux environments. A description of the methods and the results from 4 months of continuous flux measurements from May through August 2017 are presented, highlighting the winter to summer transition from ice cover to open water. We show that the dried, closed-path EC system greatly reduces the magnitude of measured FCO2 compared to simultaneous open-path EC measurements, and for the first time reconciles EC and enclosure flux measurements over sea ice. This novel EC installation is capable of operating year-round on solar and wind power, and therefore promises to deliver new insights into the magnitude of CO2 fluxes and their driving processes through the annual sea ice cycle.

Concerning the Measurement and Magnitude of Heat, Water Vapor, and Carbon Dioxide Exchange from a Semiarid Grassland

2009 ◽  
Vol 48 (5) ◽  
pp. 982-996 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph G. Alfieri ◽  
Peter D. Blanken ◽  
David Smith ◽  
Jack Morgan
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Energy Balance ◽  
Latent Heat ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
Turbulent Fluxes ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Exchange ◽  
Sensible Heat ◽  
Seasonal Behavior ◽  
Eddy Diffusivities ◽  
Using Data

Abstract Grassland environments constitute approximately 40% of the earth’s vegetated surface, and they play a key role in a number of processes linking the land surface with the atmosphere. To investigate these linkages, a variety of techniques, including field and modeling studies, are required. Using data collected at the Central Plains Experimental Range (CPER) in northeastern Colorado from 25 March to 10 November 2004, this study compares two common ways of measuring turbulent fluxes of latent heat, sensible heat, and carbon dioxide in the field: the eddy covariance (EC) and Bowen ratio energy balance (BREB) methods. The turbulent fluxes measured by each of these methods were compared in terms of magnitude and seasonal behavior and were combined to calculate eddy diffusivities and examine turbulent transport. Relative to the EC method, the BREB method tended to overestimate the magnitude of the sensible heat, latent heat, and carbon dioxide fluxes. As a result, substantial differences in both the diurnal pattern and long-term magnitudes of the water and carbon budgets were apparent depending on which method was used. These differences arise from (i) the forced closure of the surface energy balance and (ii) the assumption of similarity between the eddy diffusivities required by the BREB method. An empirical method was developed that allows the BREB and EC datasets to be reconciled; this method was tested successfully using data collected at the CPER site during 2005. Ultimately, however, the BREB and EC methods show important differences that must be recognized and taken into account when analyzing issues related to the energy, water, or carbon cycles.

Bowen ratio and closed chamber carbon dioxide flux measurements over sagebrush steppe vegetation

2001 ◽  
Vol 108 (2) ◽  
pp. 153-161 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raymond F Angell ◽  
Tony Svejcar ◽  
Jon Bates ◽  
Nicanor Z Saliendra ◽  
Douglas A Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Bowen Ratio ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Flux ◽  
Sagebrush Steppe ◽  
Closed Chamber ◽  
Steppe Vegetation ◽  
Flux Measurements

scholarly journals Carbon dioxide and methane measurements from the Los Angeles Megacity Carbon Project – Part 1: calibration, urban enhancements, and uncertainty estimates

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (13) ◽  
pp. 8313-8341 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristal R. Verhulst ◽  
Anna Karion ◽  
Jooil Kim ◽  
Peter K. Salameh ◽  
Ralph F. Keeling ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Los Angeles ◽  
Measurement Uncertainty ◽  
Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Single Point ◽  
Calibration Method ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Uncertainty Estimates ◽  
Carbon Project ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. We report continuous surface observations of carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) from the Los Angeles (LA) Megacity Carbon Project during 2015. We devised a calibration strategy, methods for selection of background air masses, calculation of urban enhancements, and a detailed algorithm for estimating uncertainties in urban-scale CO2 and CH4 measurements. These methods are essential for understanding carbon fluxes from the LA megacity and other complex urban environments globally. We estimate background mole fractions entering LA using observations from four extra-urban sites including two marine sites located south of LA in La Jolla (LJO) and offshore on San Clemente Island (SCI), one continental site located in Victorville (VIC), in the high desert northeast of LA, and one continental/mid-troposphere site located on Mount Wilson (MWO) in the San Gabriel Mountains. We find that a local marine background can be established to within  ∼  1 ppm CO2 and  ∼  10 ppb CH4 using these local measurement sites. Overall, atmospheric carbon dioxide and methane levels are highly variable across Los Angeles. Urban and suburban sites show moderate to large CO2 and CH4 enhancements relative to a marine background estimate. The USC (University of Southern California) site near downtown LA exhibits median hourly enhancements of  ∼  20 ppm CO2 and  ∼  150 ppb CH4 during 2015 as well as  ∼  15 ppm CO2 and  ∼  80 ppb CH4 during mid-afternoon hours (12:00–16:00 LT, local time), which is the typical period of focus for flux inversions. The estimated measurement uncertainty is typically better than 0.1 ppm CO2 and 1 ppb CH4 based on the repeated standard gas measurements from the LA sites during the last 2 years, similar to Andrews et al. (2014). The largest component of the measurement uncertainty is due to the single-point calibration method; however, the uncertainty in the background mole fraction is much larger than the measurement uncertainty. The background uncertainty for the marine background estimate is  ∼  10 and  ∼  15 % of the median mid-afternoon enhancement near downtown LA for CO2 and CH4, respectively. Overall, analytical and background uncertainties are small relative to the local CO2 and CH4 enhancements; however, our results suggest that reducing the uncertainty to less than 5 % of the median mid-afternoon enhancement will require detailed assessment of the impact of meteorology on background conditions.

scholarly journals Addressing a systematic bias in carbon dioxide flux measurements with the EC150 and the IRGASON open-path gas analyzers

2016 ◽  
Vol 228-229 ◽  
pp. 349-359 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Helbig ◽  
K. Wischnewski ◽  
G.H. Gosselin ◽  
S.C. Biraud ◽  
I. Bogoev ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Flux ◽  
Systematic Bias ◽  
Open Path ◽  
Flux Measurements

scholarly journals Dried, closed-path eddy covariance method for measuring carbon dioxide flux over sea ice

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian J. Butterworth ◽  
Brent G. T. Else
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Sea Ice ◽  
Eddy Covariance ◽  
Co2 Flux ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Flux ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Closed Path ◽  
Eddy Covariance Method ◽  
Open Path ◽  
Flux Measurements

Abstract. The Arctic marine environment plays an important role in the global carbon cycle. However, there remain large uncertainties in how sea ice affects air–sea fluxes of carbon dioxide (CO2), partially due to disagreement between the two main methods (enclosure and eddy covariance) for measuring CO2 flux (FCO2). The enclosure method has appeared to produce more credible FCO2 than eddy covariance (EC), but is not suited for collecting long-term, ecosystem-scale flux datasets in such remote regions. Here we describe the design and performance of an EC system to measure FCO2 over landfast sea ice that addresses the shortcomings of previous EC systems. The system was installed on a 10-m tower on Qikirtaarjuk Island – a small rock outcrop in Dease Strait located roughly 35 km west of Cambridge Bay, Nunavut in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. The system incorporates recent developments in the field of air–sea gas exchange by measuring atmospheric CO2 using a closed-path infrared gas analyzer (IRGA) with a dried sample airstream, thus avoiding the known water vapor issues associated with using open-path IRGAs in low-flux environments. A description of the methods and the results from four months of continuous flux measurements from May through August 2017 are presented, highlighting the winter to summer transition from ice cover to open water. We show that the dried, closed-path EC system greatly reduces the magnitude of measured FCO2 compared to simultaneous open-path EC measurements, and for the first time reconciles EC and enclosure flux measurements over sea ice. This novel EC installation is capable of operating year-round on solar/wind power, and therefore promises to deliver new insights into the magnitude of CO2 fluxes and their driving processes through the annual sea ice cycle.

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