FLUXNET Evaluates “Breathing patterns” of diverse ecosystems

Despite the diversity of the Earth's terrestrial ecosystems in structure and function, all obey similar biophysical and meteorological principles in their exchange of carbon dioxide, water, and energy with the overlying atmosphere. This conclusion was drawn from new data presented by Earth, atmospheric,and ecological scientists attending a recent workshop on the global flux network (FLUXNET) project. The FLUXNET project, funded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, consolidates existing regional networks of research sites around the world that measure fluxes of carbon dioxide, water vapor, and energy between terrestrial ecosystems and the atmosphere.These sites directly measure net ecosystem exchange (NEE) using a micro‐meteorological technique known as the eddy covariance method. The information collected is used to generate and validate algorithms that will be used by the Earth Observing System (EOS) satellites to compute net primary productivity at the global scale. The data collected through FLUXNET will also help explain how carbon, water, and nutrient cycles of terrestrial ecosystems respond to global environmental and climate change.