SAFE Flux Tower: Microclimate Above and Below Canopy, 2012-2017

2012-2017 microclimate data recorded above and below the forest canopy at the SAFE project flux tower in Southeast Asia. The dataset contains over 95,000 rows of 30-minute interval measurements from automatic dataloggers, collected by researcher Terhi Riutta from the University of Oxford. It includes variables like air temperature, humidity, radiation, rainfall, and barometric pressure.

Use Cases

• Modeling forest energy budgets based on net radiation measurements.
• Analyzing the impact of deforestation on microclimate gradients using above- and below-canopy sensor data.
• Studying diurnal and seasonal patterns in air temperature and relative humidity.
• Investigating rainfall patterns and sensor error characteristics, as noted for the rain gauge.
• Calibrating or validating ecosystem flux models with concurrent meteorological observations.

Strengths

• Contains 95,653 rows of time-series data, providing a substantial temporal record.
• Includes 10 distinct measurement fields such as air temperature, humidity, radiation, and pressure.
• Provides concurrent above-canopy (50m height) and below-canopy measurements, enabling vertical gradient analysis.
• Specific data quality notes are documented, such as known issues with the rain gauge and power supply gaps.

Limitations

• A significant data gap exists between 17/2/2014 and 17/06/2014 due to power supply problems.
• The rain gauge is noted to have false zeros and possibly false high values due to blockages.
• Row count and documentation are known only for the above-canopy table; details for the below-canopy table are incomplete in the provided description.

Provenance

Source

SAFE (Stability of Altered Forest Ecosystems) research project, University of Oxford.

Collection Method

Recorded with automatic dataloggers at the SAFE flux tower.

Time Range

2012 to 2017

Geography

SAFE project site, likely in Southeast Asia (inferred from GMT+8 timezone).