Soil CO2 Flux Data (FIFE): Prairie Carbon Budget Measurements

Soil surface carbon dioxide flux can be a major, non-negligible component of a grassland's carbon budget. This dataset contains measurements from the FIFE study area, using a prototype gas exchange system to characterize CO2 flux alongside critical parameters like soil temperature, moisture, and leaf area index. The results demonstrate a soil chamber method for estimating fluxes, linking them to plant contributions via root respiration.

Use Cases

• Validating vegetation photosynthesis models against measured soil CO2 flux.
• Analyzing the relationship between soil temperature/moisture and soil surface CO2 emissions.
• Quantifying the plant root respiration contribution to carbon budgets using leaf area index as a surrogate.
• Comparing chamber-based soil flux measurements with micrometeorological CO2 flux methods.

Strengths

• Data originates from a NASA-led investigation, indicating authoritative collection methods.
• Measurements cover three supersites within the FIFE study area, providing spatial representation.
• Cross-platform presence on data.gov and NASA EarthData signals established scientific use.

Limitations

• Critical metadata is missing: column names, row counts, and exact file sizes are unknown.
• Conflicting 'last updated' dates (1989 vs. 2026) create uncertainty about data currency.
• Documentation is likely contained within bundled files (ZIP, PDF), requiring extraction for full context.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Field measurements using a prototype gas exchange system and sensor at FIFE supersites.

Time Range

1989 (based on NASA EarthData date)

Freshness

Last updated dates conflict: 1989-08-12 (nasa_earthdata) and 2026-04-09 (datagov).

Geography

FIFE (First ISLSCP Field Experiment) study area, prairie ecosystem.