Beringer, J., Hutley, L. & Northwood, M. (2026). Howard Springs FLUXNET Release 2026_r1. Version 2026_r1. Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network. Dataset. https://dx.doi.org/10.25901/8p4w-xa85
Howard Springs FLUXNET Release 2026_r1
Ver: 2026_r1
Status of Data: completed
Update Frequency: annually
Security Classification: unclassified
Record Last Modified: 2026-04-07
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Dataset Created: 2026-03-14
Dataset Published: 2026-04-07
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This release consists of flux tower measurements of the exchange of energy and mass between the surface and the atmospheric boundary-layer using eddy covariance techniques. Data were processed using PyFluxPro as described by Isaac et al. (2017) for the quality control and post-processing steps. The final, gap-filled product containing Net Ecosystem Exchange (NEE) partitioned into Gross Primary Productivity (GPP) and Ecosystem Respiration (ER) has been produced using the ONEFlux software as described in Pastorello et al (2020). This data set has been produced as part of the FLUXNET Shuttle project.
The Howard Springs flux station is located south east of Darwin in the Black Jungle Conservation Reserve. It was established in August 2001 and is managed by The University of Western Australia and Charles Darwin University. The flux tower site is classified as an open woodland savanna. The overstory is co-dominated by tree species Eucalyptus miniata and Eucalyptus tentrodonata, and average tree height is 14–16m.
Elevation of the site is close to 64m and mean annual precipitation is 1750mm. Maximum temperatures range from 30.4°C (in July) to 33.2°C (in November), while minimum temperatures range from 19.3°C (in July) to 25.4°C (in November). Therefore, the maximum and minimum range varies from 7°C (wet season) to 11°C (dry season). The instrument mast is 23m tall. Heat, water vapour and carbon dioxide measurements are taken using the open-path eddy flux technique. Temperature, humidity, wind speed, wind direction, rainfall, incoming and reflected shortwave radiation and net radiation are measured above the canopy. Soil heat fluxes are measured and soil moisture content is gathered using time domain reflectometry.
The Howard Springs flux station is located south east of Darwin in the Black Jungle Conservation Reserve. It was established in August 2001 and is managed by The University of Western Australia and Charles Darwin University. The flux tower site is classified as an open woodland savanna. The overstory is co-dominated by tree species Eucalyptus miniata and Eucalyptus tentrodonata, and average tree height is 14–16m.
Elevation of the site is close to 64m and mean annual precipitation is 1750mm. Maximum temperatures range from 30.4°C (in July) to 33.2°C (in November), while minimum temperatures range from 19.3°C (in July) to 25.4°C (in November). Therefore, the maximum and minimum range varies from 7°C (wet season) to 11°C (dry season). The instrument mast is 23m tall. Heat, water vapour and carbon dioxide measurements are taken using the open-path eddy flux technique. Temperature, humidity, wind speed, wind direction, rainfall, incoming and reflected shortwave radiation and net radiation are measured above the canopy. Soil heat fluxes are measured and soil moisture content is gathered using time domain reflectometry.
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.
Purpose
The primary purpose of the Howard Springs Flux Station is to understand the effects of fire on heat, moisture and carbon dioxide fluxes in Australia's tropical savannas. Other aims include:
- to examine the water and carbon exchanges of tropical savannas
- understand the process of carbon cycling and storage in tropical savannas
- provide longer term measurements for future projects.
Lineage
Data collected using standard eddy covariance and meteorological instrumentation on a 23m tower at the Howard Springs site. The data were quality controlled using the PyFluxPro software package, see Isaac et al (2017), which is available at https://github.com/OzFlux/PyFluxPro. Gap filling and partitioning has been done using the ONEFlux software package, see Pastorello et al 2020, which is available at https://github.com/fluxnet/ONEFlux.
Method DocumentationPastorello, G., Trotta, C., Canfora, E. et al. The FLUXNET2015 dataset and the ONEFlux processing pipeline for eddy covariance data. Sci Data 7, 225 (2020).Isaac P., Cleverly J., McHugh I., van Gorsel E., Ewenz C. and Beringer, J. (2017). OzFlux data: network integration from collection to curation,PyFluxProONEFlux
Procedure Steps
1.
Data is measured using standard micro-meteorological instrumentation on a flux tower.
2.
Data is recorded on a data logger and is collected by the site PI.
3.
Data quality control including removal of data outside plausible ranges, removal of spikes, exclusion of particular date ranges and removal of data based on the dependence of one variable on another is done using PyFluxPro.
4.
Filtering for low-ustar conditions, gap filling and partitioning of NEE into GPP and ER are done using ONEFlux.
Spatial Description
The Howard Springs flux tower is located in the Black Jungle Conservation Reserve in the Northern Territory.
Temporal Coverage
From 2002-01-01 to 2026-01-01
Spatial Resolution
Data not provided.
Vertical Extent
Data not provided.
Data Quality Assessment Scope
Isaac P., Cleverly J., McHugh I., van Gorsel E., Ewenz C. and Beringer, J. (2017). OzThe data have been quality controlled using the PyFluxPro software. Quality control checks applied to the data include:
Specific checks applied to the sonic and IRGA data including rejection of points based on the sonic and IRGA diagnostic values and on either automatic gain control (AGC) or CO2 and H2O signal strength, depending upon the configuration of the IRGA.
If the data quality is poor, the meteorological data is filled from ERA5 reanalysis data and fluxes are filled using the Marginal Distribution Sampling method. Filled data can be identified by the Quality Controls flags in the dataset.
The ONEFlux software used to gap fill and partition this data set also applies a Median Absolute Deviation (MAD) filter to the carbon dioxide, latent heat and sensible heat before the gap filling step.
- range checks for plausible limits
- spike detection and removal
- dependency on other variables
- manual rejection of date ranges
Specific checks applied to the sonic and IRGA data including rejection of points based on the sonic and IRGA diagnostic values and on either automatic gain control (AGC) or CO2 and H2O signal strength, depending upon the configuration of the IRGA.
If the data quality is poor, the meteorological data is filled from ERA5 reanalysis data and fluxes are filled using the Marginal Distribution Sampling method. Filled data can be identified by the Quality Controls flags in the dataset.
The ONEFlux software used to gap fill and partition this data set also applies a Median Absolute Deviation (MAD) filter to the carbon dioxide, latent heat and sensible heat before the gap filling step.
Data Quality Assessment Outcome
No anomalous data detected after quality control.
ANZSRC - FOR
GCMD Sciences
Horizontal Resolution
Parameters
Platforms
Temporal Resolution
User Defined
AU-How
FLUXNET ID
Author
Co-Author
Contact Point
Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network
80 Meiers Road, Indooroopilly, Queensland, 4068, Australia.
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