Robson Creek Flux Data Release 2022_v2 

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 (v3.4.7) 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).

Robson Creek site is part of the Far North Queensland (FNQ) Rainforest Site along with affiliated monitoring sites at Cape Tribulation (Daintree Rainforest Observatory) and Cow Bay (Daintree Discovery Centre). The flux station is located at the foothills of the Lamb Range, part of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area, and north-west of a 25 ha census plot established by CSIRO in 2012.

The forest is classified as Regional Ecosystem (RE) 7.3.36a, complex mesophyll vine forest (Queensland Government, 2006). There are 211 species in the adjacent 25 ha plot, and average tree height is 28 m, ranging from 23 to 44 m. Elevation of the site is 711 m and mean annual precipitation is 2000 mm. The upland rainforests of the Atherton Tablelands are some of the most biodiverse and carbon dense forests in Australia. The landform of the 25 ha plot which is in the dominant wind direction from the station is moderately inclined with a low relief, a 30 m high ridge running north/south through the middle of the plot and a 40 m high ridge running north/south on the eastern edge of the plot.

The instruments are mounted on a free standing station at 40 m. Fluxes of heat, water vapour and carbon dioxide are measured using the open-path eddy flux technique. Supplementary measurements above the canopy include temperature, humidity, windspeed, wind direction, rainfall, incoming and reflected shortwave radiation and net radiation.

Note: Level 3 data for 2015 - 2018 were updated in 2018 correcting a rainfall issue in 2015 and a wind direction issue 2016 - 2018. A data gap from 2019-02-14 to 2019-02-21 was due to a major power supply failure. 

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 James Cook University.

This work is part of a collaborative study between JCU and a number of other institutions at the Robson Creek node of the FNQ Rainforest Site (CSIRO, ANU, Griffith, La Trobe, UQ). The work was funded by the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN), an Australian Government National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) project, and the Queensland Government Research Infrastructure Co-investment Fund (RICF). 

The purpose of the Robson Creek flux station is:

• to measure exchanges of carbon dioxide, water vapour and energy between the tropical upland rainforest in Far North Queensland and the atmosphere using
micrometeorological techniques
• to quantify the changes in carbon and water balances of an Australian tropical rainforest on a long term basis in the face of climate change
• to present the results from the study in real time to the public and inform the public on what these results mean.

 

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).