Introduction | Contacts | Purpose | Site Description | Measurements | DEM | Pictures

Site Description

The Gatum Pasture pasture flux station was located on private farmland in south western Victoria, approximately 260km west of Melbourne and 15km north west of the nearest settlement, Cavendish (coordinates: -37.3903, 141.9716). Elevation of the site is 250m asl, and the local terrain has a very slight (<1°) south easterly aspect.

The ecosystem was a sown pasture dominated by phalaris (Phalaris aquatica L.) and subterrenean clover (Trifolium subteraneum L.) that was regularly fertilised with superphosphate. The pasture was intensively grazed by sheep and cattle. The grass canopy was thus generally <10cm tall, and largely died off during summer and early autumn. Mean annual precipitation was 736mm (Cavendish Bureau of Meteorology station [ID 089043], 1953-2021), and mean annual temperature was 19.2°C (Hamilton Airport Bureau of Meteorology station [ID 090173], 1983-2021).

The instrument mast was 3.5m tall. Fluxes of heat, water vapour and carbon dioxide were measured using the open-path eddy covariance technique (at height of 3m). Supplementary measurements above the canopy included temperature, humidity, windspeed, wind direction, rainfall, incoming and reflected shortwave radiation and net radiation. Soil moisture content was measured using frequency domain reflectometry, while soil heat fluxes and temperature were also measured.