Comparing carbon flux and high-resolution spring phenological measurements in a northern mixed forest

Mark D. Schwartz; Jonathan M. Hanes; Liang Liang

doi:10.1016/j.agrformet.2012.10.014

Comparing carbon flux and high-resolution spring phenological measurements in a northern mixed forest

Mark D. Schwartz, Jonathan M. Hanes, Liang Liang

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

42 Scopus citations

Abstract

Vegetative canopies play a crucial role in the energy balance and composition of the atmospheric boundary layer via biotic control over evapotranspiration and carbon sources/sinks. Accurately predicting the onset/increase of carbon uptake/transpiration during the spring leaf development period using coarse resolution tower-based and satellite-derived data alone is difficult. Thus, understanding stand-level spatial patterns of spring plant phenological development and the processes that drive them may be crucial for improving landscape level estimates of evapotranspiration and carbon accumulation.In this study, high-resolution spatial and temporal tree phenology data were recorded in field campaigns over approximately 5 weeks during spring 2006 and 2007 (within a 625 m × 275 m area), and over similar periods during spring 2008, 2009, and 2010 (within two 625 m × 625 m areas) near the WLEF eddy covariance flux tower site near Park Falls in northern Wisconsin. Our findings demonstrate that phenological variations between individual trees in a specific microclimate can be adequately represented with a sample of 30 or more individuals. Further, visual phenological observations can be generally related to under-canopy light levels, and for spring phenology measurements in similar microclimates, a sampling interval of every 4 days minimizes data uncertainty and field work expenses. An analysis of the relationships among phenology, climate, and gross primary productivity (GPP) during the spring indicate that the phenology of the dominant tree species is responsible for an overall positive trend in carbon assimilation, but climate is the cause of day-to-day variation.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	136-147
Number of pages	12
Journal	Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
Volume	169
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agrformet.2012.10.014
State	Published - Feb 15 2013

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
We acknowledge the contributions of Brent Ewer and Scott Mackay during the planning phase of this work. We thank Rachel Dearing, Audrey Fusco, Joshua Hatzis, Jacquelyn Hurry, Patricia O’Kane, Isaac Park, and Virginia Seamster, who all contributed to this project as phenological observers. We are grateful to Alan Halfen for helping build transects in the expanded study areas and to the entire staff at the Kemp Natural Resources Station for their support during all of our field campaigns. We appreciate the assistance of Ankur Desai who provided us with the Park Falls/WLEF flux data and offered advice as to its use. WLEF flux tower operations were supported by National Science Foundation (NSF) Biology Directorate Grant DEB-0845166 and with the assistance of Ankur Desai and Jonathan Thom, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Arlyn Andrews and Jonathan Kofler, NOAA ESRL, D. Baumann, USFS, and J Ayers, State of Wisconsin Educational Communications Board. This paper is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under grant numbers BCS-0649380 and BCS-0703360 .

Keywords

Carbon flux
EOS land validation core site
Global change
High-resolution
Phenology
Spring

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Forestry
Global and Planetary Change
Agronomy and Crop Science
Atmospheric Science

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.1016/j.agrformet.2012.10.014

Cite this

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title = "Comparing carbon flux and high-resolution spring phenological measurements in a northern mixed forest",

abstract = "Vegetative canopies play a crucial role in the energy balance and composition of the atmospheric boundary layer via biotic control over evapotranspiration and carbon sources/sinks. Accurately predicting the onset/increase of carbon uptake/transpiration during the spring leaf development period using coarse resolution tower-based and satellite-derived data alone is difficult. Thus, understanding stand-level spatial patterns of spring plant phenological development and the processes that drive them may be crucial for improving landscape level estimates of evapotranspiration and carbon accumulation.In this study, high-resolution spatial and temporal tree phenology data were recorded in field campaigns over approximately 5 weeks during spring 2006 and 2007 (within a 625 m × 275 m area), and over similar periods during spring 2008, 2009, and 2010 (within two 625 m × 625 m areas) near the WLEF eddy covariance flux tower site near Park Falls in northern Wisconsin. Our findings demonstrate that phenological variations between individual trees in a specific microclimate can be adequately represented with a sample of 30 or more individuals. Further, visual phenological observations can be generally related to under-canopy light levels, and for spring phenology measurements in similar microclimates, a sampling interval of every 4 days minimizes data uncertainty and field work expenses. An analysis of the relationships among phenology, climate, and gross primary productivity (GPP) during the spring indicate that the phenology of the dominant tree species is responsible for an overall positive trend in carbon assimilation, but climate is the cause of day-to-day variation.",

keywords = "Carbon flux, EOS land validation core site, Global change, High-resolution, Phenology, Spring",

author = "Schwartz, {Mark D.} and Hanes, {Jonathan M.} and Liang Liang",

note = "Funding Information: We acknowledge the contributions of Brent Ewer and Scott Mackay during the planning phase of this work. We thank Rachel Dearing, Audrey Fusco, Joshua Hatzis, Jacquelyn Hurry, Patricia O{\textquoteright}Kane, Isaac Park, and Virginia Seamster, who all contributed to this project as phenological observers. We are grateful to Alan Halfen for helping build transects in the expanded study areas and to the entire staff at the Kemp Natural Resources Station for their support during all of our field campaigns. We appreciate the assistance of Ankur Desai who provided us with the Park Falls/WLEF flux data and offered advice as to its use. WLEF flux tower operations were supported by National Science Foundation (NSF) Biology Directorate Grant DEB-0845166 and with the assistance of Ankur Desai and Jonathan Thom, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Arlyn Andrews and Jonathan Kofler, NOAA ESRL, D. Baumann, USFS, and J Ayers, State of Wisconsin Educational Communications Board. This paper is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under grant numbers BCS-0649380 and BCS-0703360 .",

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AU - Schwartz, Mark D.

AU - Hanes, Jonathan M.

AU - Liang, Liang

N1 - Funding Information: We acknowledge the contributions of Brent Ewer and Scott Mackay during the planning phase of this work. We thank Rachel Dearing, Audrey Fusco, Joshua Hatzis, Jacquelyn Hurry, Patricia O’Kane, Isaac Park, and Virginia Seamster, who all contributed to this project as phenological observers. We are grateful to Alan Halfen for helping build transects in the expanded study areas and to the entire staff at the Kemp Natural Resources Station for their support during all of our field campaigns. We appreciate the assistance of Ankur Desai who provided us with the Park Falls/WLEF flux data and offered advice as to its use. WLEF flux tower operations were supported by National Science Foundation (NSF) Biology Directorate Grant DEB-0845166 and with the assistance of Ankur Desai and Jonathan Thom, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Arlyn Andrews and Jonathan Kofler, NOAA ESRL, D. Baumann, USFS, and J Ayers, State of Wisconsin Educational Communications Board. This paper is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under grant numbers BCS-0649380 and BCS-0703360 .

PY - 2013/2/15

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N2 - Vegetative canopies play a crucial role in the energy balance and composition of the atmospheric boundary layer via biotic control over evapotranspiration and carbon sources/sinks. Accurately predicting the onset/increase of carbon uptake/transpiration during the spring leaf development period using coarse resolution tower-based and satellite-derived data alone is difficult. Thus, understanding stand-level spatial patterns of spring plant phenological development and the processes that drive them may be crucial for improving landscape level estimates of evapotranspiration and carbon accumulation.In this study, high-resolution spatial and temporal tree phenology data were recorded in field campaigns over approximately 5 weeks during spring 2006 and 2007 (within a 625 m × 275 m area), and over similar periods during spring 2008, 2009, and 2010 (within two 625 m × 625 m areas) near the WLEF eddy covariance flux tower site near Park Falls in northern Wisconsin. Our findings demonstrate that phenological variations between individual trees in a specific microclimate can be adequately represented with a sample of 30 or more individuals. Further, visual phenological observations can be generally related to under-canopy light levels, and for spring phenology measurements in similar microclimates, a sampling interval of every 4 days minimizes data uncertainty and field work expenses. An analysis of the relationships among phenology, climate, and gross primary productivity (GPP) during the spring indicate that the phenology of the dominant tree species is responsible for an overall positive trend in carbon assimilation, but climate is the cause of day-to-day variation.

AB - Vegetative canopies play a crucial role in the energy balance and composition of the atmospheric boundary layer via biotic control over evapotranspiration and carbon sources/sinks. Accurately predicting the onset/increase of carbon uptake/transpiration during the spring leaf development period using coarse resolution tower-based and satellite-derived data alone is difficult. Thus, understanding stand-level spatial patterns of spring plant phenological development and the processes that drive them may be crucial for improving landscape level estimates of evapotranspiration and carbon accumulation.In this study, high-resolution spatial and temporal tree phenology data were recorded in field campaigns over approximately 5 weeks during spring 2006 and 2007 (within a 625 m × 275 m area), and over similar periods during spring 2008, 2009, and 2010 (within two 625 m × 625 m areas) near the WLEF eddy covariance flux tower site near Park Falls in northern Wisconsin. Our findings demonstrate that phenological variations between individual trees in a specific microclimate can be adequately represented with a sample of 30 or more individuals. Further, visual phenological observations can be generally related to under-canopy light levels, and for spring phenology measurements in similar microclimates, a sampling interval of every 4 days minimizes data uncertainty and field work expenses. An analysis of the relationships among phenology, climate, and gross primary productivity (GPP) during the spring indicate that the phenology of the dominant tree species is responsible for an overall positive trend in carbon assimilation, but climate is the cause of day-to-day variation.

KW - Carbon flux

KW - EOS land validation core site

KW - Global change

KW - High-resolution

KW - Phenology

KW - Spring

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JO - Agricultural and Forest Meteorology

JF - Agricultural and Forest Meteorology

ER -

Comparing carbon flux and high-resolution spring phenological measurements in a northern mixed forest

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

UN SDGs

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