A long-term (2005–2019) eddy covariance data set of CO<sub>2</sub> and H<sub>2</sub>O fluxes from the Tibetan alpine steppe
<p>The Tibetan alpine steppe ecosystem covers an area of roughly 800 000 km<span class="inline-formula"><sup>2</sup></span> and contains up to 3.3 % soil organic carbon in the uppermost 30 cm, summing up to 1.93&...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Copernicus Publications
2020-11-01
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| Series: | Earth System Science Data |
| Online Access: | https://essd.copernicus.org/articles/12/2705/2020/essd-12-2705-2020.pdf |
| Summary: | <p>The Tibetan alpine steppe ecosystem covers an area of roughly 800 000 km<span class="inline-formula"><sup>2</sup></span> and contains up to 3.3 % soil organic carbon in the uppermost 30 cm, summing up to 1.93 Pg C for the Tibet Autonomous Region only (472 037 km<span class="inline-formula"><sup>2</sup></span>). With temperatures rising 2 to 3 times faster than the global average, these carbon stocks are at risk of loss due to enhanced soil respiration. The remote location and the harsh environmental conditions on the Tibetan Plateau (TP) make it challenging to derive accurate data on the ecosystem–atmosphere exchange of carbon dioxide (CO<span class="inline-formula"><sub>2</sub></span>) and water vapor (<span class="inline-formula">H<sub>2</sub>O</span>). Here, we provide the first multiyear data set of CO<span class="inline-formula"><sub>2</sub></span> and <span class="inline-formula">H<sub>2</sub>O</span> fluxes from the central Tibetan alpine steppe ecosystem, measured in situ using the eddy covariance technique. The calculated fluxes were rigorously quality checked and carefully corrected for a drift in concentration measurements. The gas analyzer self-heating effect during cold conditions was evaluated using the standard correction procedure and newly revised formulations <span class="cit" id="xref_paren.1">(<a href="#bib1.bibx4">Burba et al.</a>, <a href="#bib1.bibx4">2008</a>; <a href="#bib1.bibx12">Frank and Massman</a>, <a href="#bib1.bibx12">2020</a>)</span>. A wind field analysis was conducted to identify influences of adjacent buildings on the turbulence regime and to exclude the disturbed fluxes from subsequent computations. The presented CO<span class="inline-formula"><sub>2</sub></span> fluxes were additionally gap filled using a standardized approach. The very low net carbon uptake across the 15-year data set highlights the special vulnerability of the Tibetan alpine steppe ecosystem to become a source of CO<span class="inline-formula"><sub>2</sub></span> due to global warming. The data are freely available at <a href="https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3733202">https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3733202</a> <span class="cit" id="xref_paren.2">(<a href="#bib1.bibx31">Nieberding et al.</a>, <a href="#bib1.bibx31">2020</a><a href="#bib1.bibx31">a</a>)</span> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.11888/Meteoro.tpdc.270333">https://doi.org/10.11888/Meteoro.tpdc.270333</a> <span class="cit" id="xref_paren.3">(<a href="#bib1.bibx32">Nieberding et al.</a>, <a href="#bib1.bibx32">2020</a><a href="#bib1.bibx32">b</a>)</span> and may help us to better understand the role of the Tibetan alpine steppe in the global carbon–climate feedback.</p> |
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| ISSN: | 1866-3508 1866-3516 |