(Photo: Martin Hertel) Tower at the reference site with the newly installed inlet system for the trace gas monitoring system.Tuesday, 12th of May

 

Before our maintenance visit in April, the eddy-covariance towers at our site were equipped with open-path gas analyzers to monitor carbon dioxide and water vapor fluxes.

 

To improve the understanding of ecosystem-atmosphere exchange fluxes of carbon in arctic permafrost regions, however, we also needed to cover additional carbon species with this experiment. The main motivation for this site visit was therefore the installation of new gas analyzers that also allow measuring the fluxes of CH4.

The new trace gas monitoring system, capable of measuring the high-frequency fluctuations in the mixing ratios of methane, carbon dioxide and water vapor, consists of a heated inlet system, a closed-path gas analyzer and an external pump.

 

Since we were well prepared and had started some test runs already in Germany, we were able to fully install and subsequently test the whole system setup at both towers within the given time frame. With the new setup up and running, we now can produce year-round observations of CH4 fluxes using the eddy-covariance technique.

 

The major objectives are to evaluate the spatiotemporal variability of ecosystem-atmosphere exchange fluxes in arctic permafrost regions as well as the environmental drivers that dominate this variability.

Now that we managed to finish all the scheduled work in Cherskii, the field trip is almost over and we have to leave this wonderful place. Before I say goodbye I want to use this last opportunity to thank my team for the warm and funny atmosphere throughout the trip and the technical as well as scientific support. I hope all the readers enjoyed our blog and hope that you keep following us during the summer field campaigns this year.

 

Goodbye!

 

Written by Fanny