Flux tower Reinshof
A comprehensive understanding of the effects of agricultural management on climate–crop interactions is still needed. Long-term quantification of ecosystem-scale carbon dioxide (CO2), water and energy fluxes in cropping systems can help disentangling climatic effects of management practices and how climatic conditions can influence the crop. The eddy covariance technique allows for continuous measurements of the exchange of different fluxes between the ecosystem of study and the atmosphere.
Through a collaboration with the Bioclimatology group of the University of Göttingen, an eddy covariance tower was built at the Reinshof Experimental Farm of the University of Göttingen (beginning of operation in May 2021). Carbon dioxide, water and energy fluxes, together with meteorological variables (temperature, relative humidity, radiation, wind speed and wind direction, sunshine, soil temperature and moisture) are continuously being measured in a typical crop rotation for central Germany (i.e. sugar beet, barley, wheat). In the coming months, we expect to include additional eddy covariance measurements of nitrous oxide fluxes. Nitrous oxide (N2O) is one of the most powerful greenhouse gases and agriculture is its largest source. Therefore, quantifying and understanding N2O is the first step to develop mitigation strategies.
Persons in charge:
Department of Crop Sciences, Division Agronomy, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences
Dr. Ana Meijide
Prof. Dr. Stefan Siebert
Bioclimatology, Faculty of Forest Sciences and Forest Ecology
Dr. Christian Markwitz
Prof. Dr. Alexander Knohl