PATCHEC

Spatial variability is an integral feature of the land surface. Land use introduces finite well-defined patches to the land surface (e.g. clearcut surrounded by intact forest) with small-scale internal variability. Greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes originating from such patches need to be quantified for mitigating climate change and eddy covariance (EC) flux measurement technique might be a key tool in this work. However, the theoretical basis of the technique rests on the assumption of flat terrain void of any variability in the surface. Here, we aim to evaluate the applicability of EC for observing GHG fluxes from heterogenous land use patches. We use detailed turbulence simulations and novel observations with fibre-optic cables and thermal imaging for thorough evaluation of the air flow near surface heterogeneities. These findings will help assessing the utility of EC technique in such locations and enable better description of land surface in ecosystem and weather prediction models.

2023

2027