Arcturus Emerald Flux Data Release 2022_v1 

This data release consists of flux tower measurements of the exchange of energy and mass between the surface and the atmospheric boundary-layer in semi-arid eucalypt woodland using eddy covariance techniques. It been processed using PyFluxPro (v3.3.3) as described in Isaac et al. (2017), https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-2903-2017. PyFluxPro takes data recorded at the flux tower and process this data to a final, gap-filled product with Net Ecosystem Exchange (NEE) partitioned into Gross Primary Productivity (GPP) and Ecosystem Respiration (ER). For more information about the processing levels, see https://github.com/OzFlux/PyFluxPro/wiki.

The Arcturus greenhouse gas (GHG) monitoring station was established in July 2010, 48 km southeast of Emerald, Queensland, with flux tower measurements starting in June 2011 until early 2014. The station was part of a collaborative project between Geoscience Australia (GA) and CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research (CMAR). Elevation of the site was approximately 170m asl and mean annual precipitation was 572mm. The tower bordered 2 land use types split N-S: To the west lightly forested tussock grasslands; To the east crop lands, cycling through fallow periods.The instruments were installed on a square lattice tower with an adjustable pulley lever system to raise and lower the instrument arm. The tower was 5.6m tall with the instrument mast extending a further 1.1m above, totalling a height of 6.7m. Fluxes of heat, water vapour, methane and carbon dioxide were measured using the open-path eddy flux technique. Supplementary measurements above the canopy included temperature, humidity, windspeed, wind direction, rainfall, and the 4 components of net radiation. Soil heat flux, soil moisture and soil temperature measurements were also collected.
For additional site information, see http://www.ozflux.org.au/monitoringsites/arcturus/index.html. 

We at TERN acknowledge the Traditional Owners and Custodians throughout Australia, New Zealand and all nations. We honour their profound connections to land, water, biodiversity and culture and pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging. The Arcturus Emerald flux station was managed by Geoscience Australia. It was supported largely by CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research and was a voluntary member to TERN. 

The purpose of the Arcturus Emerald flux station was to :
gain an understanding of natural background carbon dioxide and methane fluxes in the region prior to carbon sequestration and coal seam gas activities take place.
couple natural flux results with high precision greenhouse gas monitoring instruments (including isotope analysis) to be used for atmospheric dispersion modelling.
assess the feasibility of using this type of instrumentation for baseline studies prior to industry activities that will be required to monitor and assess CO2 or CH4 leakage to atmosphere in the future. 

All flux raw data is subject to the quality control process OzFlux QA/QC to generate data from L1 to L6. Levels 3 to 6 are available for re-use. Datasets contain Quality Controls flags which will indicate when data quality is poor and has been filled from alternative sources. For more details, refer to Isaac et al (2017) in the Publications section, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-2903-2017 .