Introduction | Contacts | Purpose | Site Description | Measurements | DEM | Pictures
Measurements
The Wombat Flux research site consists of a main flux tower site and three satellite sites.
The main flux tower site includes the following instrumentation that is located in a secured and locked compound:
35 m tall eddy-covariance flux tower;
trailer-mounted mobile laboratory – Fourier transform infra-red (FTIR) spectrometer, including automated sampling chambers;
remote area power system (diesel generator and 12V battery bank)
The EC flux tower at the main flux tower site continuously measures the exchange of CO2, water vapour and energy between the atmosphere and the forest through equipment mounted on the tower. This main tower site also includes a full weather station.
The FTIR in the trailer-mounted mobile laboratory continuously measures the flux of greenhouse gases (CO2, CH4 and N2O) between the soil and atmosphere that are collected during the closure of automated chambers.
The three satellite sites are located within a 1km radius from the tower and include control plots (no treatment) and rainfall reduction plots (40% rainfall reduction) to study the effect of drought on ecosystem processes. Moreover soil respiration processes are investigated by partitioning soil respiration in its component fluxes heterotrophic and autotrophic respiration. Greenhouse gas fluxes (CO2, CH4) are measured using manual chamber techniques coupled with a greenhouse gas analyser (FGGA).
Instrumentation of the Eddy Covariance tower
Instrument Type | Make | Model | Situation |
---|---|---|---|
IRGA Open path - density CO2, H2O - atmospheric pressure |
LI-COR | LI-7500 | 30m |
3D sonic anemometer - wind velocities (u,v,w) - sonic temperature |
Campbell | CSAT-3 | 30m |
Air temperature, Humidity - T, Rh |
Vaisalla | HMP-45C | 2, 5, 10, 20, 30m |
PAR Radiation - PPFD - PPFD diffuse |
AT | Sunshine - BF3 | 30m |
Pyrgeometer Radiation - Longwave radiation in and out (Lin Lout) | Kipp and Zonen | CG2 | 30m |
Pyranometer Shortwave radiation (Kin, Kout, albedo) | Kipp and Zonen | CM 7B | 30m |
Net Radiation - Rn |
Kipp and Zonen | NRLite | 30m |
Rainfall - Rain |
Hydrological services | CS702 | 30m |
Wind direction, speed - W dir , W vel |
RM Young | Wind sentry | 30m |
Soil temperature | Thermocouple | -0.1, 0.2, 0.4, 0.8, 1.5m 5m from tower | |
Soil temperature (averaging array) |
Campbell | TCAV | Surface to 10cm avg 5m from tower |
Soil heat flux plates | Campbell | HFT3 | -0.1m 5m from tower |
Soil water content (time domain reflectometer type probe) |
Campbell | CS616 | 0.1, 0.2, 0.4, 0.8, 1.5m 5m from tower |
Automatic weather station - temperature - Relative Humidity |
1.5m, situated 1.5 and | ||
Data Loggers | Campbell | CR-3000 CR-10X |
5m |
Communications | Campbell NL115 ethernet and CF card adaptor and Maxon Ethernet modem | ||
Power Supply - 12V DC EC flux station |
Kyocera - solar panels (4) (BP) |
120W ea | 60-80m |
Instrumentation of the FTIR
Instrument Type | Make | Model | Situation |
---|---|---|---|
FTIR spectrometer | Bruker Optik; IR cube with thermo-electrically cooled MCT detector | Matrix-M | Field laboratory |
Thermostatically controlled housing | University of Wollongong | Field laboratory | |
White cell fixed path (26 m) sample cell (4 L) | IR analysis, Anaheim, CA | 24PA | Field laboratory |
4 stage diaphragm vacuum pump | Vaccu Brand, Germany | MV2 | Field laboratory |
Gas manifold (controls valve swith, flow, pressure, drying) | University of Wollongong | Field laboratory | |
Carrier gas | Linde | Ultra-high purity | Field laboratory |
Standard calibration gas | CSIRO | CO2, CO, H2O, N2O, CH4, 13CO2, 2H | Field laboratory |
Tower profile manifold (controls valve switch, purge) | University of Wollongong | Field laboratory | |
2 stage diaphragm pump | Thomas | Field laboratory | |
Control lap-top (Oscar, Opus, DCON-Utility software) | Dell | Field laboratory | |
Chamber manifold (controls valve switch, TDR, soil temp.) | University of Wollongong | Field laboratory | |
Automated pneumatic chambers | Chinese Academy of Science | Festo pneumatic pistons | Tower base (0m) |
Soil moisture probes | Delta T, UK | Theta ML2X | Tower base (0m) |
Soil temperature probes | Univ. Wollongong | Tower base (0m) | |
4.5 kW Diesel generator (Yanmar) and 12V battery bank | Watts 2C, QLD | Powermaker Ranger 4.5 | Tower base (0m) |
1.5 hP Air compressor | Pilot | K8 | Tower base (0m) |