OzFlux data: network integration from collection to curation
Measurement of the exchange of energy and mass between the surface and the atmospheric boundary-layer by the eddy covariance technique has undergone great change in the last 2 decades. Early studies of these exchanges were confined to brief field campaigns in carefully controlled conditions foll...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Copernicus Publications
2017-06-01
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| Series: | Biogeosciences |
| Online Access: | http://www.biogeosciences.net/14/2903/2017/bg-14-2903-2017.pdf |
| Summary: | Measurement of the exchange of energy and mass between
the surface and the atmospheric boundary-layer by the eddy covariance
technique has undergone great change in the last 2 decades. Early studies
of these exchanges were confined to brief field campaigns in carefully
controlled conditions followed by months of data analysis. Current practice
is to run tower-based eddy covariance systems continuously over several
years due to the need for continuous monitoring as part of a global effort
to develop local-, regional-, continental- and global-scale budgets of
carbon, water and energy. Efficient methods of processing the increased
quantities of data are needed to maximise the time available for analysis
and interpretation. Standardised methods are needed to remove differences in
data processing as possible contributors to observed spatial variability.
Furthermore, public availability of these data sets assists with undertaking
global research efforts. The OzFlux data path has been developed (i) to
provide a standard set of quality control and post-processing tools across
the network, thereby facilitating inter-site integration and spatial
comparisons; (ii) to increase the time available to researchers for analysis
and interpretation by reducing the time spent collecting and processing
data; (iii) to propagate both data and metadata to the final product; and
(iv) to facilitate the use of the OzFlux data by adopting a standard file
format and making the data available from web-based portals. Discovery of
the OzFlux data set is facilitated through incorporation in FLUXNET data
syntheses and the publication of collection metadata via the RIF-CS format.
This paper serves two purposes. The first is to describe the data sets, along
with their quality control and post-processing, for the other papers of this
Special Issue. The second is to provide an example of one solution to the
data collection and curation challenges that are encountered by similar flux
tower networks worldwide. |
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| ISSN: | 1726-4170 1726-4189 |