Year-long eddy covariance measurements of carbon and energy fluxes in an alpine steppe on the Tibetan Plateau

2026-08-05T10:41:45Zhttp://doidb.wdc-terra.org/oaip/oai

oai:doidb.wdc-terra.org:87292026-07-30T15:47:28ZDOIDBDOIDB.GFZ

false4DOIDB.GFZ 10.5880/GFZ.TKVR.2026.001 Pillai, Nithin D. Nithin D. Pillai 0000-0002-5239-2523 GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences, Potsdam, Germany Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany Wille, Christian Christian Wille 0000-0003-0930-6527 GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences, Potsdam, Germany Nieberding, Felix Felix Nieberding 0000-0002-3735-1192 Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany Helbig, Manuel Manuel Helbig 0000-0003-1996-8639 GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences, Potsdam, Germany Sachs, Torsten Torsten Sachs 0000-0002-9959-4771 GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences, Potsdam, Germany Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany Year-long eddy covariance measurements of carbon and energy fluxes in an alpine steppe on the Tibetan Plateau GFZ Data Services 2026 Eddy Covariance Alpine Steppe NamCo Tibetan Plateau High altitude ecosystem In Situ Land-based Platforms > GROUND-BASED OBSERVATIONS In Situ/Laboratory Instruments > Chemical Meters/Analyzers > LICOR GAS EXCHANGE SYSTEM In Situ/Laboratory Instruments > Current/Wind Meters > SONIC ANEMOMETER Science Keywords > EARTH SCIENCE > BIOSPHERE > ECOLOGICAL DYNAMICS > ECOSYSTEM FUNCTIONS > BIOGEOCHEMICAL CYCLES Science Keywords > EARTH SCIENCE > LAND SURFACE > SOILS > CARBON > NET ECOSYSTEM CO2 EXCHANGE (NEE) Pillai, Nithin D. Nithin D. Pillai 0000-0002-5239-2523 GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences, Potsdam, Germany Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany Pillai, Nithin D. GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences, Potsdam, Germany 2018-07-14T14:30:00+08:00/2019-07-08T23:30:00+08:00 2025-11-30 Dataset 10.5194/essd-18-5627-2026 10.24381/cds.adbb2d47 10.5281/zenodo.3733202 10.5194/essd-12-2705-2020 CC BY 4.0 We present a continuous dataset of carbon and energy fluxes measured over an alpine steppe at Nam Co in the Tibetan Plateau (TP), c. 220 km north of Lhasa.These data were collected to quantify landscape-scale fluxes and understand seasonal ecosystem dynamics in this high-altitude grassland. Measurements were collected using the Eddy Covariance technique, employing a CSAT3 ultrasonic anemometer and a Li-7500RS open-path infrared gas analyzer installed at 19 m above ground.

Compared to the existing long-term measurements at 3 m at this site, the higher measurement height provides a larger footprint (~30 ha), enabling landscape-scale flux estimation and improved alignment with satellite observations. The source area represents a broader area, encompassing the alpine steppe with subtle vegetation density variations, more productive and wetter patches near the lakeshore, and occasional inclusion of the adjacent lake surface.

The dataset spans approximately one year, from 14 July 2018 to 08 June 2019. Flux measurements were quality-filtered and gap-filled to produce a complete seasonal record using two complementary approaches, marginal distribution sampling (MDS) and random forest (RF). The dataset primarily consists of half-hourly flux measurements, including carbon, water, and energy fluxes, quality flags, uncertainty estimates, and footprint diagnostics. Derived daily and monthly files provide aggregated fluxes and associated uncertainties. In addition, site meteorological observations (Biomet) are also included. All data are provided as CSV files, with file and variable descriptions explained in the accompanying data description file.
The one-year, 10 Hz eddy-covariance measurements collected at the Nam Co site from a height of 19 m were processed to obtain 30-minute averaged fluxes of CO₂ (NEE), water vapor (H₂O), sensible heat (H), and latent heat (LE). Raw data were processed using EddyPro (v7.0.9, LI-COR Inc.) following standard eddy-covariance procedures, including spike removal, coordinate rotation, time-lag correction, density (WPL) correction, and frequency-response adjustments.

Flux quality control was conducted according to established eddy-covariance guidelines. Data gaps arising from quality filtering or instrument downtime were filled using marginal distribution sampling (MDS) and random forest (RF) methods to generate complete seasonal flux records.
The data is collected at the NAMORS station on Tibetan Plateau near Lake NamCo. The temporal coverage of the data is approximately 1 year. Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100001659 317513741/GRK 2309