FIFE Surface Flux and Bowen Ratio Measurements from 15 Prairie Sites

ORNL_CLOUD provides surface flux and micrometeorological measurements collected from 15 locations within the FIFE study area. The dataset includes variables like net radiation, sensible heat, latent heat, soil heat flux, air temperature, vapor pressure, and wind speed, recorded over a 144-day continuous period in 1987 and spanning 1987 to 1989. These measurements were designed to understand energy partitioning across a rolling prairie landscape.

Use Cases

• Analyzing the seasonal evolution of the Bowen ratio and latent heat flux using net radiation and soil heat flux measurements.
• Comparing surface energy balance components (net radiation, sensible heat, latent heat) across different topographic slopes and aspects.
• Calibrating or validating land surface models with in-situ measurements of air temperature, vapor pressure, and wind speed.
• Estimating the spatial sampling density required to represent surface fluxes in rolling prairie topography.

Strengths

• Data collection employed six automatic surface energy balance systems operating continuously for 144 days, providing high temporal resolution.
• Measurements cover 15 distinct locations representing four cardinal slopes and a top, allowing for analysis of topographic influence.
• Instrumentation and data systems followed a similar design, reducing variability from measurement methods and isolating treatment/location effects.

Limitations

• Exact row count, file size, and a complete column list are unavailable across all sources.
• Sources conflict on the last updated date, reporting both 1989-08-14 and 2026-03 13.

Provenance

Source

ORNL_CLOUD

Collection Method

Measurements from surface flux and Bowen ratio stations within the FIFE area.

Time Range

1987 to 1989, with a core continuous measurement period from May 16 to October 16, 1987.

Freshness

2026-03-13 07:42:39.985719

Geography

15 locations within the FIFE (First ISLSCP Field Experiment) study area, representing a rolling prairie topography with sites up to 10 km apart.