Ideas and perspectives: enhancing the impact of the FLUXNET network of eddy covariance sites

Abstract

In the last 20 years, the FLUXNET network provided unique measurements of CO2, energy and other greenhouse gas exchanges between ecosystems and atmosphere measured with the eddy covariance technique. These data have been widely used in different and heterogeneous applications, and FLUXNET became a reference source of information not only for ecological studies but also in modeling and remote sensing applications. The data are, in general, collected, processed and shared by regional networks or by single sites, and for this reason it is difficult for users interested in analyses involving multiple sites to easily access a coherent and standardized dataset. For this reason, periodic FLUXNET collections have been released in the last 15 years, every 5 to 10 years, with data standardized and shared under the same data use policy. However, the new tools available for data analysis and the need to constantly monitor the relations between ecosystem behavior and climate change require a reorganization of FLUXNET in order to increase the data interoperability, reduce the delay in the data sharing and facilitate the data use, all this while keeping in mind the great effort made by the site teams to collect these unique data and respecting the different regional and national network organizations and data policies. Here a proposal for a new organization of FLUXNET is presented with the aim of stimulating a discussion for the needed developments. In this new scheme, the regional and national networks become the pillars of the global initiative, organizing clusters and becoming responsible for the processing, preparation and distribution of datasets that users will be able to access in real time and with a machine-to-machine tool, obtaining always the most updated collection possible but keeping a high standardization and common data policy. This will also lead to an increase in the FAIRness (Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability and Reusability) of the FLUXNET data that will ensure a larger impact of the unique data produced and a proper data management and traceability.