Net ecosystem exchange of carbon dioxide over agricultural fields near Lacombe, Alberta: data management and processing

Agriculture/ Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) and Campbell Scientific Canada (CSC) have been operating an “eddy covariance” (EC) meteorological tower near Lacombe, Alberta that measures the flux of carbon dioxide (CO2) between agricultural fields and the atmosphere. This tower provides data that is used to assess plant growth and decomposition across fields which is critical for understanding crop viability and the role of Canadian agriculture in the global carbon cycle. Several years of EC data have accumulated from the Lacombe tower, however AAFC/CSC do not have resources to verify these data. Using several software packages, I will correct several years of CO2 flux data from the AAFC/CSC tower. I will statistically compare flux calculations between each program and choose the most suitable software for AAFC/CSC to use for future data processing. I will then develop a software use manual to guide data processors to consistently calculate EC flux data for this station.

Faculty Supervisor:

Vincent St Louis

Student:

Partner:

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Information and cultural industries

University:

University of Alberta

Program:

Accelerate