Maximizing the information obtained from chamber-based greenhouse gas exchange measurements in remote areas

Measurements of greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes, particularly methane (CH₄) and nitrous oxide (N₂O) in mountain ecosystems are scarce due to the complexity and unpredictable behavior of these gases, in addition to the remoteness of these ecosystems. In this context, we measured CO₂, CH₄, and N₂O fluxes in four semi-natural pastures in the Pyrenees to investigate their magnitude and range of variability. Our interest was to study GHG phenomena at the patch-level, therefore we chose to measure the gas-exchange using a combination of a gas analyzer and manual chambers. The analyzer used is a photoacoustic field gas-monitor that allows multi-gas instantaneous measurements. After implementing quality control and corrections, data was of variable quality. We tackled this by categorizing data as to providing quantitative or only qualitative information: •50% and 59% of all CH₄ and N₂O data, respectively, provided quantitative information above the detection limit.•We chose not to discard data providing only qualitative information, because they identify highest- and lowest-flux peak periods and indicate the variability of the fluxes, along different altitudes and under different climatic conditions.•We chose not to give fluxes below detection limit a quantitative value but to acknowledge them as values identifying periods with low fluxes.