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Updated: May 30, 2026
09:05
Measurements of CO2 Fluxes at Non-Ideal Eddy Covariance Sites
Published on: June 24, 2019
Constraining ecosystem processes from tower fluxes and atmospheric profiles
T C Hill1, M Williams, F I Woodward
1School of GeoSciences and NERC Centre for Terrestrial Carbon Dynamics, University of Edinburgh EH9 3JN, United Kingdom. thill@staffmail.ed.ac.uk
Summary
Planetary boundary layer (PBL) measurements offer valuable insights into biosphere processes. This study shows PBL data, like atmospheric profiles, can effectively constrain ecosystem model parameters, similar to flux tower data.
Area of Science:
- Atmospheric science
- Ecology
- Earth system science
Background:
- The planetary boundary layer (PBL) connects global atmospheric models with local ecosystem measurements.
- PBL processes are crucial for understanding land-atmosphere interactions and ecosystem functions.
- PBL measurements integrate information over scales relevant to ecosystem processes (1-100 km).
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the information content of PBL measurements for inferring biosphere process details.
- To assess how well PBL data can constrain parameters in a coupled atmosphere-biosphere model.
- To compare the constraining power of PBL profiles versus eddy covariance flux tower data.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the coupled atmosphere-biosphere (CAB) model.
- Employed a Bayesian data assimilation framework for parameter inversion.
- Validated the CAB model against eddy covariance flux tower and PBL scalar profile measurements in a Canadian boreal forest.
- Conducted synthetic data experiments using Bayesian inversions.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated consistency between the CAB model and observational data (fluxes and PBL profiles).
- In synthetic experiments, leaf area and respiration were well constrained.
- Surface albedo and plant hydraulic conductance were moderately constrained.
- PBL profiles and eddy covariance data showed similar, albeit slightly lower, parameter constraining abilities compared to their combination.
Conclusions:
- PBL measurements provide significant information about biosphere processes.
- Both PBL profiles and eddy covariance data are valuable for constraining ecosystem models.
- Combining different observation types offers the most comprehensive parameter estimation.
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