Wellington Research Station Flux Data Collection 

This dataset consists of 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 (v3.5.0) as described by Isaac et al. (2017). PyFluxPro produces a final, gap-filled product with Net Ecosystem Exchange (NEE) partitioned into Gross Primary Productivity (GPP) and Ecosystem Respiration (ER).

The Wellington Research Station flux tower is part of the network of Australian Critical Zone Observatories (OzCZO). The site vegetation is characterised by pastoral/woodland type. Climate of the site is represented by a humid subtropical climate type (Köppen), with hot summers and cool winters. Long term weather records from the Bureau of Meteorology (station no. 065035) states annual mean maximum temperatures of ca 22.8 °C, and mean minimum temperatures of ca 10.5 °C. The rainfall for the site is in the range from an annual lowest of 348.3 mm to annual highest of 1355.3 mm. 

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 flux station is part of the Australian OzFlux Network and contributes to the international FLUXNET Network. 

The Wellington Research Station flux tower is part of the network of Australian Critical Zone Observatories (OzCZO). Its primary purpose is to investigate the exchange of CO₂ and water vapor between the atmosphere and land surface (vegetation, soil, vadose zone and groundwater), in a typical semi-arid pastoral farmland region of NSW. These water, energy and carbon dioxide fluxes form essential boundary conditions for environmental models and must be measured. A better understanding of hydrologic processes (such as groundwater recharge and evapotranspiration) in a pastoral landscape will inform policy makers on the challenges of water management and supporting food production for a growing population in a changing climate.

The Wellington Research Station’s groundwater investigation is particularly informative as it is located in a fractured rock domain, which is a poorly understood medium for groundwater. Less is known about the water resources available in fractured rocks than practically any other aquifer system, yet it has been estimated that approximately 1/3 of all bores drilled in Australia are into fractured rock systems. These systems are particularly important for understanding and monitoring dryland salinity and for supporting the increasing agricultural water demand from fractured rock environments. A better understanding of hydrologic processes (such as groundwater recharge and evapotranspiration) in a pastoral landscape will inform policy makers on the challenges of water management and supporting food production for a growing population in a changing climate.
The flux tower and associated infrastructure will also provide data for future projects, measurements for parameterising and validating remote sensing an
The station was commissioned on 1 September 2023 and is managed by the CSIRO Environment. 

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.