Flux Tower Measurements from a Loxton Almond Orchard in 2008-2009

Comprising flux tower measurements of energy and mass exchange between an almond orchard surface and the atmosphere using eddy covariance techniques, processed with PyFluxPro v3.4.7. The data were collected from a site established in August 2008 and decommissioned in June 2009, providing a final, gap-filled product with partitioned Net Ecosystem Exchange (NEE).

Use Cases

• Analyze the temporal dynamics of Net Ecosystem Exchange (NEE) and its components, Gross Primary Productivity (GPP) and Ecosystem Respiration (ER), over the orchard's operational period.
• Model the relationship between energy flux measurements and site-specific variables like tree height (5.5 m), planting spacing (7m x 5m), and applied nutrient rates (e.g., 551 kg/ha KNO3).
• Study the impact of orchard management practices, such as herbicide application timing and fertigation dosing schedules (September-November, April), on ecosystem carbon and energy fluxes.

Strengths

• Data processed with a standardized methodology (PyFluxPro v3.4.7) as described by Isaac et al. (2017), producing a final, gap-filled product.
• Provides detailed site metadata including precise coordinates (34.47035 °S, 140.65512 °E), planting specifications, and annual nutrient application rates.
• Covers a full growing season for the almond orchard, from site establishment in August 2008 to decommissioning in June 2009.

Limitations

• Limited temporal coverage of less than one full year, which may not capture inter-annual variability in ecosystem fluxes.
• Specific data volume (row count) and available variables (columns) are unknown from the provided description.
• Geographic scope is restricted to a single, managed almond orchard block, limiting generalizability to other ecosystems.

Provenance

Source

Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network's Data Discovery

Collection Method

Flux tower measurements using eddy covariance techniques, processed with PyFluxPro software.

Time Range

August 2008 to June 2009

Freshness

Data last updated in the catalog on 2026-03-20, but the underlying measurements are from 2008-2009.

Geography

A specific almond orchard block near Loxton, South Australia (34.47035 °S, 140.65512 °E).