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Research Project: Understanding Water-Driven Ecohydrologic and Erosion Processes in the Semiarid Southwest to Improve Watershed Management

Location: Southwest Watershed Research Center

Title: Integrating continuous atmospheric boundary layer and tower-based flux measurements to advance understanding of land-atmosphere interactions

Author
item HELBIG, M. - Dalhousie University
item GERKEN, T - McMaster University
item BEAMESDERFER, E - Northern Arizona University
item BALDOCCHI, D.D. - University Of California
item BANERJEE, T. - University Of California
item BIRAUD, S.C. - Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
item BROWN, W.O.J, - National Center For Atmospheric Research (NCAR)
item BRUNSELL, N.A. - University Of Kansas
item BURAKOWSKI, E.A. - University Of New Hampshire
item BURNS, S.P. - University Of Colorado
item BUTTERWORTH, B.J. - University Of Wisconsin
item CHAN, W.S. - Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
item DAVIS, K.J. - Pennsylvania State University
item DESAI, A.R. - University Of Wisconsin
item FUENTES, J.D. - Pennsylvania State University
item HOLLINGER, D,Y, - Us Forest Service (FS)
item KLJUN, N. - University Of Indiana
item MAUDER, M. - Karlsruhe Institute Of Technology
item NOVICK, K. - University Of Indiana
item PERKINS, J.M. - University Of Arizona
item RAHN, D.A. - University Of Kansas
item REY-SANCHEZ, C. - University Of California
item SANTELLO, J.A. - National Aeronautics And Space Administration (NASA)
item Scott, Russell
item SEYEDNASROLLAH, B. - Northern Arizona University
item STOY, P.C. - University Of Wisconsin
item SULLIVAN, R. - Argonne National Laboratory
item VILA, J. - Wageningen University
item WHARTON, S. - Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
item YI, CHUIXANG - Queens College
item RICHARDSON, A.D. - Northern Arizona University

Submitted to: Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/7/2021
Publication Date: 6/23/2021
Citation: Helbig, M., Gerken, T., Beamesderfer, E., Baldocchi, D., Banerjee, T., Biraud, S., Brown, W., Brunsell, N., Burakowski, E., Burns, S., Butterworth, B., Chan, W., Davis, K., Desai, A., Fuentes, J., Hollinger, D., Kljun, N., Mauder, M., Novick, K., Perkins, J., Rahn, D., Rey-Sanchez, C., Santello, J., Scott, R.L., Seyednasrollah, B., Stoy, P., Sullivan, R., Vila, J., Wharton, S., Yi, C., Richardson, A. 2021. Integrating continuous atmospheric boundary layer and tower-based flux measurements to advance understanding of land-atmosphere interactions. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology. 307. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agrformet.2021.108509.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agrformet.2021.108509

Interpretive Summary: The addition of continuous, automated observations of the near-surface atmosphere can enhance the scientific value of existing observation networks of land-atmosphere carbon, water, and energy exchanges. In this review, we highlight four key opportunities to integrate on-going ecosystem flux measurements with atmospheric boundary layer measurements. Adding a suite of atmospheric boundary layer measurements to the land-atmosphere flux observations and supporting the sharing of these data through collaborative networks would allow the Earth science community to address new emerging research questions, better interpret ongoing flux tower measurements, and would present novel opportunities for collaborations between scientists.

Technical Abstract: The atmospheric boundary layer mediates the exchange of energy, matter, and momentum between the land surface and the free troposphere, integrating a range of physical, chemical, and biological processes and is defined as the lowest layer of the atmosphere (ranging from a few meters to 3 km). In this review, we investigate how continuous, automated observations of the atmospheric boundary layer can enhance the scientific value of co-located eddy covariance measurements of land-atmosphere fluxes of carbon, water, and energy, as are being made at FLUXNET sites worldwide. We highlight four key opportunities to integrate tower-based flux measurements with continuous, long-term atmospheric boundary layer measurements: (1) to interpret surface flux and atmospheric boundary layer exchange dynamics and feedbacks at flux tower sites, (2) to support flux footprint modelling, the interpretation of surface fluxes in heterogeneous and mountainous terrain, and quality control of eddy covariance flux measurements, (3) to support regional-scale modeling and upscaling of surface fluxes to continental scales, and (4) to quantify land-atmosphere coupling and validate its representation in Earth system models. Adding a suite of atmospheric boundary layer measurements to eddy covariance flux tower sites, and supporting the sharing of these data to tower networks, would allow the Earth science community to address new emerging research questions, better interpret ongoing flux tower measurements, and would present novel opportunities for collaborations between FLUXNET scientists and atmospheric and remote sensing scientists.