Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
aim to create global standardized datasets of Eddy Covariance measurements
available to the scientific community (Papale et al.
2012
). The usefulness of these
measurements has been proved by the large range of applications published in the
last years, ranging from empirical up scaling (Jung et al.
2010
; Beer et al.
2010
)
to climate-ecosystem interactions (Reichstein et al.
2007
), ecosystem function-
ing (Mahecha et al.
2010
; Williams et al.
2012
) and model and remote sensing
products parameterization and validation (Maselli et al.
2009
; Chiti et al.
2010
;
Migliavacca et al.
2011
; Wang et al.
2012
).
2.2 The Italian Network
In Italy the first sites measuring CO
2
and H
2
O fluxes continuously using the Eddy
Covariance technique were started in 1996-1997 (IT-Cpz, IT-Col and IT-Ren)
within the context of the EUROFLUX European project (ENVCT 0095-0078),
but the number increased rapidly in the following years thanks to other European
research projects supporting the continental network of sites.
The CarboItaly FISR Italian project offered the opportunity to consolidate,
enlarge and standardize the Italian network of sites which amounted to 29 sites in
the 2007-2010 period. These sites, representing different Plant Functional Types
(PFTs) and distributed along the Italian peninsula (Fig.
2.1
), are briefly described
in the following subsections. The network has been coordinated by the University
of Tuscia, also hosting the database where all the data have been processed, stored
and are today available to its users.
The data measured with the Eddy Covariance technique need a multiple-steps
processing that, in particular for CO
2
and H
2
O, has been standardized and consoli-
dated also during the CarboItaly project. The developed processing chain is appli-
cable to all those sites minimizing potential differences due to the data Quality
assurance/Quality control (QA/QC) used in particular when synthesis activities
involving multiple sites are performed. The measurements acquired by the Italian
sites have all been centrally processed according to the international standards
described in Papale et al. (
2006
), Moffat et al. (
2007
) and Reichstein et al. (
2005
).
2.2.1 Amplero (IT-Amp)
The Amplero Mediterranean mountainous grassland is located in central Italy in
the Abruzzo region (41.90409° N; 13.60516° E) on a flat to gently south sloping
(2-3 %) area, at 884 m.a.s.l. The experimental area is a homogenous mixed grass-
land, mainly composed by few dominant graminoids (genus
Poa
10 %), forbs (genus
Trifolium
30 %, genus
Medicago
20 %) and composites (genus
Geranium
20 %,
genus
Cerastium
20 %). The growing season ranges from April to the end of May
(roughly 60 days long) with the maximum of production at the end of May, while the
