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 (v3.3.0) 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 flux station is located within an area of dryland agriculture. The surrounding area is dominated by broadacre farming practices. The vegetation cover is predominantly pasture. Elevation of the site is close to 330 m. Climate information comes from the nearby Pingelly BoM AWS station 010626 (1991 to 2016) and shows mean annual precipitation is approximately 445 mm with highest rainfall in June and July of 81 mm each month. Maximumum and minuimum annual rainfall is 775 and 217 mm, respectively. Maximum temperatures range from 31.9°C (in Jan) to 15.4°C (in July), while minimum temperatures range from 5.5°C (in July) to 16.0 °C (in Feb).
Credit
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 site is managed by the University of Western Australia. The flux station is part of the Australian OzFlux Network and contributes to the international FLUXNET Network.
Purpose
The purpose of the Ridgefield Flux Station is to:
Monitor and determine the balance of environmental demands for water yields, agricultural productivity, GHG budgets and biodiversity within a catchment landscape.
Provide information to establish a modelling tool for GHG and water fluxes across various land use types, in order to benefit land management practices in the wheatbelt of Western Australia.
The station is a crucial component of the UWA critical zone observatory which will be the site of a multidisciplinary approach to understanding the landscape dynamics.