04/03/2012
Looking Skyward To Study Ecosystem Carbon Dynamics
Summary
Between May and October 2011, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program, conducted a field campaign at the ARM Southern Great Plains (SGP) site to evaluate the High Dynamic Range All-Sky Imaging System (HDR-ASIS), a new instrument for quantitative image-based monitoring of sky conditions and solar radiation. The geometry of incident solar radiation has been widely shown to be a major determinant of photosynthesis rates, atmospheric CO2 exchange, and photosynthetic light use efficiency in terrestrial ecosystems. USGS developed the HDR-ASIS to provide time series, ground-based observations to address this constraint (i.e., the geometry of incident solar radiation). Field tests are ongoing, and the final instrument is envisioned to be critical for improving ecosystem process modeling. The instrument evaluation included intercomparisons with several ARM instruments. HDR-ASIS time-series data products are available from the ARM archive, following initial data processing, quality control, and analysis.
References
Reference: Dye, D. G. 2012. “Looking Skyward To Study Ecosystem Carbon Dynamics,” Eos, Transactions American Geophysical Union 93(14), 141. DOI: 10.1029/2012EO140002.