logo
Data

Beacon Farm Unmanaged FLUXNET Release 2026_r1 

Ver: 2026_r1
Status of Data: completed
Update Frequency: annually
Security Classification: unclassified
Dataset Published: 2026-04-07
Dataset Last Modified: 2026-08-18
Metadata viewed 5 times
Dataset accessed 3 times
Metadata Created: 2026-03-20
Metadata Last Modified: 2026-08-19
How to cite this collection:
Hunt, J. & Laubach, J. (2026). Beacon Farm Unmanaged FLUXNET Release 2026_r1. Version 2026_r1. Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network. Dataset. https://dx.doi.org/10.25901/04zp-2272 
Data can be accessed from the following links:
OPeNDAP2026_r1 FLUXNET Beacon Farm Unmanaged
HTTPPoint-of-truth metadata URL
HTTPro-crate-metadata.json
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 standard micrometeorological methods 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.
Two micrometeorological EC flux towers were installed approximately 300 m apart. One tower was located in an adjacent unirrigated, winter-grazed paddock.
The Beacon Farm site in Mid-Canterbury, New Zealand (204 m elevation) receives around 900 mm of annual rainfall and has a mean temperature of 10.9°C. Formerly a deer farm, it was converted to intensive dairy farming in 2008/09, supporting about 850 cows under rotational grazing. The two towers monitored irrigated and non-irrigated paddocks, alongside additional measurements of greenhouse gases and meteorological conditions. 
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
- to study the impact of the conversion of dry-land grazing to irrigated dairy farming on net annual greenhouse gas (carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide) emissions at paddock scales.
- to study the effects of conversion of dry-land to irrigated dairy farming on soil carbon storage.
- to investigate the environmental drivers of greenhouse gas emissions and changes in soil carbon storage.
- to investigate the seasonal variation of greenhouse gas emissions and soil carbon storage.
- to study the effect of land conversion on water use efficiency and nitrogen use efficiency.
- to understand the impact of irrigation and fertiliser application on nitrate leaching. 
Lineage
Data not provided. 
Method DocumentationData not provided.
Procedure StepsData not provided.
Spatial Description
The Beacon Farm Unmanaged flux tower is located on an intensively managed dairy farm on the Mid-Canterbury plains, South Island, New Zealand. 
Temporal Coverage
From 2012-01-01 to 2015-01-01 
Spatial Resolution

Data not provided.

Vertical Extent

Data not provided.

Data Quality Assessment Scope
The data have been quality controlled by the site PI using standard micro-meteorological methods.

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 Report
Data not provided. 
Data Quality Assessment Outcome
No anomalous data detected after quality control. 
ANZSRC - FOR
Atmospheric sciences
Carbon sequestration science
Climate change impacts and adaptation
Climatology
Ecosystem function
Data Stream
Fluxes
GCMD Sciences
ATMOSPHERIC RADIATION - LONGWAVE RADIATION
ATMOSPHERIC RADIATION - SHORTWAVE RADIATION
ATMOSPHERIC TEMPERATURE - AIR TEMPERATURE
ATMOSPHERIC WATER VAPOR - EVAPOTRANSPIRATION
ATMOSPHERIC WATER VAPOR - HUMIDITY
ATMOSPHERIC WATER VAPOR - WATER VAPOR PROCESSES
ATMOSPHERIC WINDS - WIND DIRECTION PROFILES
CARBON FLUX
ECOLOGICAL DYNAMICS - RESPIRATION RATE
GROSS PRIMARY PRODUCTION (GPP)
NET ECOSYSTEM CO2 EXCHANGE (NEE)
PRECIPITATION - LATENT HEAT FLUX
PRECIPITATION - RAIN
SENSIBLE HEAT FLUX
SOILS
VERTICAL WIND VELOCITY/SPEED
Horizontal Resolution
250 meters - < 500 meters
Parameters
air temperature
downward heat flux at ground level in soil
ecosystem respiration
gross primary productivity
lateral component of wind speed
longitudinal component of wind speed
magnitude of surface downward stress
mass concentration of water vapor in air
mole fraction of carbon monoxide in dry air
mole fraction of water vapor in air
Monin-Obukhov length
net ecosystem exchange
net ecosystem productivity
net primary productivity of biomass expressed as carbon accumulated in miscellaneous living matter
relative humidity
soil temperature
surface air pressure
surface downwelling longwave flux in air
surface downwelling shortwave flux in air
surface friction velocity
surface net downward radiative flux
surface upward latent heat flux
surface upward mole flux of carbon dioxide
surface upward sensible heat flux
surface upwelling longwave flux in air
surface upwelling shortwave flux in air
thickness of rainfall amount
volume fraction of condensed water in soil
wind from direction
wind speed
Project
TERN Ecosystem Processes
Temporal Resolution
1 minute - < 1 hour
Topic
climatologyMeteorologyAtmosphere
environment
User Defined
FLUXNET ID
NZ-BFu
Author
Hunt, John
Co-Author
Laubach, Johannes
Contact Point
Hunt, John
Publisher
Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network
Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network
80 Meiers Road, Indooroopilly, Queensland, 4068, Australia.
Contact Us
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
The Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license allows others to copy, distribute, display, and create derivative works provided that they credit the original source and any other nominated parties. Details are provided at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ 
TERN services are provided on an "as-is" and "as available" basis. Users use any TERN services at their discretion and risk. They will be solely responsible for any damage or loss whatsoever that results from such use including use of any data obtained through TERN and any analysis performed using the TERN infrastructure.
Web links to and from external, third party websites should not be construed as implying any relationships with and/or endorsement of the external site or its content by TERN.

Please advise any work or publications that use this data via the online form at https://www.tern.org.au/research-publications/#reporting 
Please cite this dataset as {Author} ({PublicationYear}). {Title}. {Version, as appropriate}. Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network. Dataset. {Identifier}.