Robson Creek Flux Tower Measurements of Energy and Mass Exchange

Featuring flux tower measurements of energy and mass exchange between the surface and atmosphere using eddy covariance techniques. Data were processed with PyFluxPro (v3.4.21) to produce a final, gap-filled product including Net Ecosystem Exchange (NEE) partitioned into Gross Primary Productivity (GPP) and Ecosystem Respiration (ER). The site is located in a complex mesophyll vine forest within the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area at an elevation of 711 meters.

Use Cases

• Analyze Net Ecosystem Exchange (NEE) and its components, Gross Primary Productivity (GPP) and Ecosystem Respiration (ER), to model carbon dynamics in a high-biodiversity rainforest.
• Correlate fluxes of heat, water vapor, and carbon dioxide with supplementary measurements like temperature, humidity, and rainfall to study ecosystem-atmosphere interactions.
• Investigate the impact of site characteristics, such as average tree height (28m) and mean annual precipitation (2000mm), on observed energy and mass exchange patterns.
• Use gap-filled, processed data from PyFluxPro to validate or calibrate land surface models for upland rainforest ecosystems.

Strengths

• Data is processed into a final, gap-filled product using the established PyFluxPro (v3.4.21) software as described by Isaac et al. (2017).
• Site is located in a biodiverse and carbon-dense forest within the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area, with detailed site characterization including 211 species in an adjacent plot and an elevation of 711m.
• Includes supplementary meteorological measurements above the canopy, such as temperature, humidity, windspeed, wind direction, and radiation.

Limitations

• Specific data volume (row count, column count) and file sizes are not provided, making it difficult to assess computational requirements.
• A known data gap exists from 2019-02-14 to 2019-02-21 due to a major power supply failure.
• Data for 2015-2018 required corrections for rainfall and wind direction issues, indicating potential for residual processing artifacts.

Provenance

Source

Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network's Data Discovery

Collection Method

Flux tower measurements using the open-path eddy covariance technique, processed with PyFluxPro software.

Time Range

Data is available for multiple years, with specific mentions of 2015-2018 and a gap in 2019.

Freshness

Data was last updated on 2026-03-20, indicating recent maintenance.

Geography

Robson Creek site in Far North Queensland, Australia, within the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area at the foothills of the Lamb Range (711m elevation).