Eddy Covariance Measurements of Water Energy Balance in a Montane Ecosystem
Location
Eccles Conference Center
Event Website
http://water.usu.edu/
Start Date
4-20-2010 10:20 AM
End Date
4-20-2010 10:25 AM
Description
In much of the western US, mountain regions store water in the snowpack, and contain ecosystems that differ greatly from others in the region. So they play a significant role in the hydrology and various terrestrial processes in these semi-arid regions. However, few intensive observations of the water and energy balance of mountain ecosystems have been conducted, and long-term measurements are even more unusual. We are studying the seasonal changes of the energy balance and net ecosystem exchange (NEE) of carbon for a meadow in a montane environment. The goal is to quantify the surface fluxes of heat, water vapor and C02, and how they vary during the year. The study is being conducted at the T.W. Daniel Experimental Forest (TWDEF). The site is at an elevation of 2600m, and is a montane forest-meadow mosaic of conifers, aspen, sagebrush and grass-forb communities. The instrument cluster is located on a gently sloping region of the site, with primarily grass-forb and sagebrush vegetation. An eddy covariance station is sited there, which includes a 3-D sonic anemometer, and a fast-response humidity and C02 sensor. There are also measurements of net radiation, soil heat flux, air temperature and humidity. The turbulence data are sampled at 20 Hz, and stored for later analyses. The time series data is used to calculate raw turbulent fluxes of momentum, heat, water vapor and C02. These are then corrected using rotation of the coordinate system, separation of sensors, density effects on turbulence and other high frequency effects. The values of the energy balance will be documented during the year, to indicate how they change during the seasons. 0f particular interest will be the water vapor flux or sublimation from the snow in the winter, and how the surface exchanges change as the snow melts and vegetation becomes active in the summer. The results will be integrated with other studies at the site involving aspects of soil, hydrology and ecology. The goal is to acquire a better understanding the key processes that connect the land surface to climate in these regions.
Eddy Covariance Measurements of Water Energy Balance in a Montane Ecosystem
Eccles Conference Center
In much of the western US, mountain regions store water in the snowpack, and contain ecosystems that differ greatly from others in the region. So they play a significant role in the hydrology and various terrestrial processes in these semi-arid regions. However, few intensive observations of the water and energy balance of mountain ecosystems have been conducted, and long-term measurements are even more unusual. We are studying the seasonal changes of the energy balance and net ecosystem exchange (NEE) of carbon for a meadow in a montane environment. The goal is to quantify the surface fluxes of heat, water vapor and C02, and how they vary during the year. The study is being conducted at the T.W. Daniel Experimental Forest (TWDEF). The site is at an elevation of 2600m, and is a montane forest-meadow mosaic of conifers, aspen, sagebrush and grass-forb communities. The instrument cluster is located on a gently sloping region of the site, with primarily grass-forb and sagebrush vegetation. An eddy covariance station is sited there, which includes a 3-D sonic anemometer, and a fast-response humidity and C02 sensor. There are also measurements of net radiation, soil heat flux, air temperature and humidity. The turbulence data are sampled at 20 Hz, and stored for later analyses. The time series data is used to calculate raw turbulent fluxes of momentum, heat, water vapor and C02. These are then corrected using rotation of the coordinate system, separation of sensors, density effects on turbulence and other high frequency effects. The values of the energy balance will be documented during the year, to indicate how they change during the seasons. 0f particular interest will be the water vapor flux or sublimation from the snow in the winter, and how the surface exchanges change as the snow melts and vegetation becomes active in the summer. The results will be integrated with other studies at the site involving aspects of soil, hydrology and ecology. The goal is to acquire a better understanding the key processes that connect the land surface to climate in these regions.
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/runoff/2010/Posters/16