Sturt Plains Flux Data Collection

This dataset consists of measurements of the exchange of energy and mass between the surface and the atmospheric boundary-layer in Mitchell Grass using eddy covariance techniques.

The site is located on a low lying plain dominated by Mitchell Grass (gen. Astrebla). Elevation of the site is close to 250m and mean annual precipitation at a nearby Bureau of Meteorology site is 640mm. Maximum temperatures range from 28.4°C (in June/ July) to 39.1°C (in December), while minimum temperatures range from 11.2°C (in July) to 24.4°C (in December).

The instrument mast is 5 meters tall. Heat, water vapour and carbon dioxide measurements are taken using the open-path eddy flux technique. Temperature, humidity, wind speed, wind direction, rainfall and net radiation are measured. Soil heat fluxes are measured and soil moisture content is gathered using time domain reflectometry.

Ancillary measurements taken at the site include LAI, leaf-scale physiological properties (gas exchange, leaf isotope ratios, N and chlorophyll concentrations), vegetation optical properties and soil physical properties. Airborne based remote sensing (Lidar and hyperspectral measurements) was carried out across the transect in September 2008. Biomass Harvest - mean live biomass: 0.00 gm-2 (standard error: 0.00) , mean standing dead biomass: 163.42 gm-2 (standard error: 16.73), mean litter biomass: 148.99 gm-2 (standard error: 21.32), total mean biomass: 312.40 gm-2 (standard error: 30.80), Soil- Clay: 14.47% (volume <1µm), Silt: 51.23% (volume <1µm), Sand: 34.30% (volume <1µm), Sand (>1 µm): 1.02% (total weight).

This data is also available at http://data.ozflux.org.au .

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 and Charles Darwin University. The flux station is part of the Australian OzFlux Network and contributes to the international FLUXNET Network.

Purpose
The purpose of the Sturt Plains Flux Station is to: Provide information as part of a larger network of flux stations established along the North Australian Tropical Transect (NATT) gradient, which extends ~1000km south from Darwin 12.5°S. Examine spatial patterns and processes of land-surface-atmosphere exchanges (radiation, heat, moisture, CO2 and other trace gasses) across scales from leaf to landscape. Determine the climate and ecosystem characteristics (physical structure, species composition, physiological function) that drive spatial and temporal variations of carbon, water and energy fluxes. Determine if fluxes of carbon, water vapour and heat over the various ecosystems as derived from the various measurement techniques can be combined to form a comprehensive and consistent estimate of the regional fluxes and budgets across the landscape. Provide long-term consistent observations of energy, carbon and water exchange between the atmosphere and the ‘top end’ grassland.