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In mountainous lake areas, lake-land and mountain-valley breezes interact with each other, leading to an “extended lake breeze”. These extended lake breezes can regulate and control energy and carbon cycles at different scales. Based on meteorological and turbulent fluxes data from an eddy covariance observation site at Erhai Lake in the Dali Basin, southwest China, characteristics of daytime and nighttime extended lake breezes and their impacts on energy and carbon dioxide exchange in 2015 are investigated. Lake breezes dominate during the daytime while, due to different prevailing circulations at night, there are two types of nighttime breezes. The mountain breeze from the Cangshan Mountain range leads to N1 type nighttime breeze events. When a cyclonic circulation forms and maintains in the southern part of Erhai Lake at night, its northern branch contributes to the formation of N2 type nighttime breeze events. The prevailing wind directions for daytime, N1, and N2 breeze events are southeast, west, and southeast, respectively. Daytime breeze events are more intense than N1 events and weaker than N2 events. During daytime breeze events, the lake breeze decreases the sensible heat flux (Hs) and carbon dioxide flux ( $$\boldsymbol{F}_{\text{CO}_{2}}$$ ) and increases the latent heat flux (LE). During N1 breeze events, the mountain breeze decreases Hs and LE and increases $$\boldsymbol{F}_{\text{CO}_{2}}$$ . For N2 breeze events, the southeast wind from the lake surface increases Hs and LE and decreases $$\boldsymbol{F}_{\text{CO}_{2}}$$ . Results indicate that lakes in mountainous areas promote latent heat mixing but suppress carbon dioxide exchange.

The stratification of the atmospheric surface layer (ASL) plays an important role in regulating the water vapor and heat exchange across the lake–air interface. Based on one year of data measured by the eddy covariance technique over Erhai Lake in 2015, the ASL stability ($${\rm{\zeta }}$$) was divided into six ranges, including unstable ($$ - 1 \le {\rm{\zeta }} \lt - 0.1$$), weakly unstable ($$ - 0.1 \le {\rm{\zeta }} \lt - 0.01$$), near-neutral1 ($$ - 0.01 \le {\rm{\zeta }} \lt 0$$), near-neutral2 ($$0 \le {\rm{\zeta }} \lt 0.01$$), weakly stable ($$0.01 \le {\rm{\zeta }} \lt 0.1$$), and stable ($$0.1 \le {\rm{\zeta }} \lt 1$$). The characteristics of ASL stability conditions and factors controlling the latent ($$\rm LE$$) and sensible heat ($$H$$) fluxes under different stability conditions were analyzed in this study. The stability conditions of Erhai Lake have noticeably seasonal and diurnal variation, with the near-neutral and (weakly) stable stratification usually occurring before July, with frequencies of 51.7% and 23.3%, respectively, but most of the (weakly) unstable stratification was observed after July, with a frequency of 59.8%. Large evaporation occurred even in stable atmospheric conditions, due to the coupled effects of the relatively larger lake–air vapor pressure difference and wind speed. The relative controls of $$\rm LE$$ and $$H$$ by different atmospheric variables are largely dependent on the stability conditions. In stable and unstable ranges, $$\rm LE$$ is closely correlated with the vapor pressure difference, whereas in weakly unstable to weakly stable ranges, it is primarily controlled by wind speed. $$H$$ is related to wind speed and the lake–air temperature difference under stable conditions, but shows no obvious relationship under unstable conditions.

The Tibetan Plateau (TP) is a key area affecting forecasts of weather and climate in China and occurrences of extreme weather and climate events over the world. The China Meteorological Administration, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences jointly initiated the Third Tibetan Plateau Atmospheric Science Experiment (TIPEX-III) in 2013, with an 8–10-yr implementation plan. Since its preliminary field measurements conducted in 2013, routine automatic sounding systems have been deployed at Shiquanhe, Gaize, and Shenzha stations in western TP, where no routine sounding observations were available previously. The observational networks for soil temperature and soil moisture in the central and western TP have also been established. Meanwhile, the plateau-scale and regional-scale boundary layer observations, cloud-precipitation microphysical observations with multiple radars and aircraft campaigns, and tropospheric-stratospheric air composition observations at multiple sites, were performed. The results so far show that the turbulent heat exchange coefficient and sensible heat flux are remarkably lower than the earlier estimations at grassland, meadow, and bare soil surfaces of the central and western TP. Climatologically, cumulus clouds over the main body of the TP might develop locally instead of originating from the cumulus clouds that propagate northward from South Asia. The TIPEX-III observations up to now also reveal diurnal variations, macro- and microphysical characteristics, and water-phase transition mechanisms, of cumulus clouds at Naqu station. Moreover, TIPEX-III related studies have proposed a maintenance mechanism responsible for the Asian “atmospheric water tower” and demonstrated the effects of the TP heating anomalies on African, Asian, and North American climates. Additionally, numerical modeling studies show that the Γ distribution of raindrop size is more suitable for depicting the TP raindrop characteristics compared to the M-P distribution, the overestimation of sensible heat flux can be reduced via modifying the heat transfer parameterization over the TP, and considering climatic signals in some key areas of the TP can improve the skill for rainfall forecast in the central and eastern parts of China. Furthermore, the TIPEX-III has been promoting the technology in processing surface observations, soundings, and radar observations, improving the quality of satellite retrieved soil moisture and atmospheric water vapor content products as well as high-resolution gauge-radar-satellite merged rainfall products, and facilitating the meteorological monitoring, forecasting, and data sharing operations.

The differences in planetary boundary layer characteristics, in particular atmospheric boundary layer height (ABLH), humidity, and local circulations in pre-monsoon and monsoon period over the Erhai Lake, were simulated by the lake-atmosphere coupled model WRF v3.7.1. No lake simulations were also conducted to investigate lake effects over complex topography. During pre-monsoon period, local circulation was fully developed under weak synoptic system. The ABLH ran up to 2300 m or so. During monsoon period, temperature difference between land and lake became smaller, resulting in weaker local circulations. The height of circulation reduced by 500 m, and ABLH ran up to 1100 m during the day. Enhanced soil moisture and low surface temperature due to monsoon rainfalls in July could be the main reason for the slightly lower ABLH over the Erhai Lake area. Specific humidity of the boundary layer increased 8.8 g kg−1 or so during monsoon period. The Erhai Lake enlarged thermal contrast between valley and mountain slope in the Dali Basin. The lake reduced air temperature by 2~3 °C during daytime and increased air temperature by nearly 2 °C in the evening. Due to its small roughness length and large thermal capacity, the Erhai Lake enlarged lake-land temperature difference and local wind speed. A cyclonic circulation was maintained by the combination of mountain breeze and land breeze in the south of the lake. The lake decreased air temperature, increased specific humidity, and reduced ABLH during daytime, whereas the opposite effect is presented at night.

Based on five years of eddy covariance measurements at multiple levels (47, 140, and 280 m) of Beijing's 325-m meteorological tower, the exchange process of CO2 fluxes between the atmosphere and urban surface were investigated. As a result of the total vehicle control policy from 2011 in Beijing, the growth rate of annual total CO2 flux at 140 m is 7.8% from 2008–2010 but 2.3% from 2010–2012. With the minimum vegetation cover and largest population density, the 5-yr average annual total CO2 flux at 140 m is largest (6.41 kg C m−2 yr−1), compared with that at 47 m (5.78 kg C m−2 yr−1) and 280 m (3.99 kg C m−2 yr−1). With regards to annual total CO2 fluxes in Beijing, vehicle numbers and population are the main controlling factors. The measured CO2 fluxes were highly dependent on land cover/use in the prevailing wind direction. The CO2 fluxes at three layers all correlated positively with road fraction, with the R2 values being 0.69, 0.57, and 0.54 (P 摘要 本文基于北京325米气象塔在47, 140, 和280米三层高度的5年涡动相关观测资料, 研究了城市下垫面与大气间的CO2交换过程.由于北京市2011年开始实行工作日汽车尾号限行, 140米高度CO2通量的年增长率由2008–2010年的7.8%降低到2010–2012年的2.3%.140米高度通量源区内植被比例最小且人口密度最大, 因此140米高度的5年平均CO2通量年总量)6.41 kg C m−2 yr−1(大于47米)5.78 kg C m−2 yr−1(和280米)3.99 kg C m−2 yr−1(.在年尺度上, 北京汽车总保有量和总人口是最重要的CO2通量控制因子.CO2通量随风向的变化主要与风向对应的通量源区内下垫面土地利用方式有关.三层高度的夏季CO2通量均与道路的比例呈正相关关系.47, 140, 和280米的决定系数分别为0.69, 0.57, 和0.54 (P

Uncertainties in satellite rainfall estimation may derive from both the local rainfall characteristics and its subpixel variability. To study this issue, Micro Rain Radars and a rain gauge network were deployed within a 9-km satellite pixel in the semi-arid Xilingol grassland of China in summer 2009. The authors characterized the subpixel variability with the coefficient of variation (CV) and evaluated the satellite rainfall estimation for this semi-arid area. The results showed that rainfall events with a high CV were mostly convective with a small amount of rainfall. Spatially inhomogeneous rainfall was most likely to occur at the edges of small clouds producing rain. The performance of the TRMM (Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission) 3B42V7 product for daily rainfall was better than that of the CMORPH (Climate Prediction Center morphing technique) and PERSIANN (Precipitation Estimation from Remotely Sensed Information Using Artificial Neural Networks) products, although the TRMM product tended to overestimate rainfall in a lake area of the semi-arid grassland. 摘要 卫星估雨精度的不确定性受到当地降雨类型和像元内降雨非均匀性影响, 而结合这两个关键因素开展半干旱草原卫星估雨的研究有限. 2009年夏, 我们在中国锡林郭勒半干旱草原用多部微雨雷达和雨量计构建了9 km卫星像元降雨观测网, 观测了像元内降雨非均匀性(空间变异系数CV), 并评估了卫星估雨精度. 结果表明: (1) CV值受像元内平均降雨量, 降雨类型, 降雨云面积及移向等影响, 如高CV值的降雨过程大多为平均降雨量小, 对流性降雨过程, 降雨云边缘像元CV值较高; (2) TRMM 3B42V7 卫星估雨产品适用性较好, CMORPH和PERSIANN次之, 但TRMM 3B42V7易在半干旱草原湖泊处高估降雨.

Turbulence data (2008–2012) from a 325 m meteorological tower in Beijing, which consisted of three layers (47, 140, and 280 m), was used to analyze the vertical distribution characteristics of turbulent transfer over Beijing city according to similarity theory. The conclusions were as follows. (1) Normalized standard deviations of wind speeds σ i / u * were plotted as a function only of a local stability parameter. The values under near-neutral conditions were 2.15, 1.61, and 1.19 at 47 m, 2.39, 1.75, and 1.21 at 140 m, and 2.51, 1.77, and 1.30 at 280 m, showing a clear increase with height. The normalized standard deviation of wind components fitted the 1/3 law under unstable stratification conditions and decreased with height under both stable and unstable conditions. (2) The normalized standard deviation of temperature fitted the ‒1/3 law in the free convection limit, but was quite scattered with different characteristics under near-neutral conditions. The normalized standard deviations of humidity and the CO2 concentration fitted the ‒1/3 law under unstable conditions, and remained constant under near-neutral and stable stratification. The normalized standard deviation of scalars, i.e., temperature, humidity, and CO2 concentration, all increased with height. (3) Compared with momentum, and the water vapor and CO2 concentrations, the turbulence correlation coefficient for heat was smaller under near-neutral conditions, but larger under both stable and unstable conditions. A dissimilarity between heat, and the water vapor and CO2 concentrations was observed in urban areas. The relative correlation coefficients between heat and each of momentum, humidity, and CO2 concentration (| r wT / r uw |, | r wT / r wc | and | r wT / r uq |) in the lower layers were always larger than in higher layers, except for the relative correlation coefficient between heat and humidity in an unstable stratification. Therefore, the ratio between heat and each of momentum, humidity, and CO2 concentration decreased with height.

Tropical cyclones and meiyu-baiu fronts, as the two main synoptic systems over East Asia, bring heavy rain during summers, but their long-term and vertical raindrop size distribution (RSD) features over the midlatitude Japan Islands are limited. Radar-based quantitative precipitation estimation (QPE) techniques require RSD observations. In this study, five-year observations from Tokyo with a ground-based impact Joss-Waldvogel disdrometer (JWD) and a vertically pointing micro rain radar (MRR) with a vertical range of 0.2&ndash, 6.0 km were used to study the vertical structures of RSD and QPE parameters. The results showed that the convective rain associated with tropical cyclones had a maritime nature, while the rain associated with the meiyu-baiu front had a continental nature. The rain associated with tropical cyclones had a relatively higher concentration of raindrops and a larger average raindrop diameter than the rain associated with the meiyu-baiu front. The Z&ndash, R (radar reflectivity-rain rate) relationships (Z = ARb) based on the JWD data for tropical cyclones, the meiyu-baiu front and total summer rainfall in Tokyo were Z = 189 R1.38, Z = 214 R1.35 and Z = 212 R1.33, respectively. When the Z&ndash, R relationships obtained in this study were used to replace the operational relationship of Z = 300 R1.4, the standard deviation of the rain rate was reduced from 5.50 mm/h (2.34 mm/h) to 2.34 mm/h (1.32 mm/h) for typhoon (meiyu-baiu front) rainfall, although the change for total summer rainfall was small. In addition, with increasing height below 4 km, the value of A and b decreased.

Based on eddy covariance flux data from July 15, 2014, to December 31, 2015, the water and CO2 fluxes were compared over a semiarid alpine steppe (Bange, Tibetan Plateau) and a humid alpine meadow (Lijiang, Yunnan) on the Tibetan Plateau and its surrounding region. During the wet season, the evaporative fraction (EF) was strongly and linearly correlated with the soil water content (SWC) at Bange because of its sparse green grass cover. In contrast, the correlation between the EF at Lijiang and the SWC and the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) was very low because the atmosphere was close to saturation and the EF was relatively constant. In the dry season, the EF at both sites decreased with the SWC. The net ecosystem exchange (NEE) at Bange was largely depressed at noon, while this phenomenon did not occur at Lijiang. The saturated NEE at Bange was 24% of that at Lijiang. The temperature sensitivity coefficient of ecosystem respiration at Bange (1.7) was also much lower than that at Lijiang (3.4). The annual total NEE in 2015 was 21.8 and −230.0 g C m−2 yr−1 at Bange and Lijiang, respectively, and the NEE was tightly controlled by the NDVI at the two sites. The distinct differences in the water and CO2 fluxes at Bange and Lijiang are attributed to the large SWC difference and its effect on vegetation growth.

Based on the results from eleven flux sites during the third Tibetan Plateau (TP) Experiment (TIPEX III), land surface parameters and the turbulence characteristics of the atmospheric surface layer over the TP and surrounding region are analyzed. Monin-Obukhov similarity theory has been used to calculate the aerodynamic roughness length z0m and the excess resistance to heat transfer kB− 1 = ln(z0m/z0h), and the factors that cause variations of z0m and kB− 1 are investigated. The main sdrivers for the diurnal variations of surface albedo(α) at different sites are solar elevation, solar radiation, and soil moisture. The eddy correlation method is utilized to inversely calculate bulk transfer coefficients for momentum (CD) and heat (CH) at different sites. The relationships between CD and CH, and the wind speed at 10 m follow a power law for unstable stratification. For stable stratification, both CD and CH increase with increasing wind speed when wind speed is less than 5 m/s. Diurnal variations of turbulent fluxes are compared at different sites, and the relationships between turbulent fluxes and other variables are analyzed. Wind speed variance normalized by the friction velocity (σu/u*, σv/u*, σw/u*) for neutral stratification (Cu1,Cv1,Cw1), and temperature and humidity variance normalized by a temperature and humidity scale (σT/T*, σq/q*) under free convection (z/L

The cropland ecosystem in semiarid areas is sensitive to climate change. The accurate representation of crop phenology is important for predicting the carbon and water exchange process. The performance of a newly developed phenological model (SiBcrop) for simulations of carbon flux phenology in a semiarid area ecosystem was evaluated. The results showed that the SiBcrop improved the prediction for daily maximum gross primary production (GPP), and the days GPP reached the maximum value were closer to the observation, compared to SiB3. SiBcrop had a better prediction for both monthly total net ecosystem exchange (NEE) in the growing season than in the dormant season in semiarid areas. The day when the cumulative NEE predicted with SiBcrop became positive was closer to the observation. The observed start date of carbon uptake (CUstart) had a larger annual variation than did the end date of carbon uptake (CUend). SiBcrop had a better prediction for CUstart but poor for CUend, compared to SiB3. There was a longer carbon uptake period (CUP) predicted with SiBcrop than the observed results.

Vertical raindrop size distributions of two stratiform rain events were measured with a Micro Rain Radar during summer 2009 at a semiarid continental site located in Xilinhot, China (43°38′N, 116°42′E). The sequential intensity filtering technique (SIFT) was used to minimize the effect of the spurious variability on disdrometric data to obtain the reflectivity–rain rate (Z–R) relationship (Z = aRb). Compared with the least squares regression (LSR) method, SIFT led to a −5% to 4% change in the coefficient (a) and an 8%–15% increase in the exponent (b) of the Z–R relationship at 300 m. Rainfall estimation using the Z–R relationship with SIFT had lower standard deviation than that with LSR. The vertical variability of the mean rain rate, total raindrop numbers, and parameters (a and b) of the Z–R relationship was small below a melting layer, suggesting that using the radar reflectivity of weather radar to estimate stratiform rainfall is relatively accurate, at least in the Xilinhot area.

The effects of precipitation pulses on evapotranspiration (ET) and CO 2 fluxes were evaluated over different land surfaces in a semiarid area using eddy covariance technique. ET responded to rain events throughout the growing season, but the degree of responses varied among seasons. In spring and fall, ET slightly responded to precipitation pulses, because the precipitation amount in the rainfall event was small and very discrete. As the rainy season started in early summer, responses of ET to precipitation pulses significantly increased. In late summer, the intensity of responses in ET was weakened because the soils retain moisture by the high-frequency rainfall events and the antecedent soil moisture. Regarding CO 2 exchange, in early summer, the net CO 2 uptake slightly increased at the cultivated corn site after rain pulses, while the degraded grassland site experienced comparatively greater responses. In late summer, the cultivated corn site exhibited more negative CO 2 flux after rain than the grassland site, and the responses of net CO 2 uptake to rain pulses were much stronger than those in early summer. The soil moisture content and vegetation cover are the key factors in determining the responses of ET and CO 2 fluxes to precipitation pulses in these two semiarid ecosystems.

The eddy covariance technique was used to measure the CO2 flux over four differently grazed Leymus chinensis steppe ecosystems (ungrazed since 1979 (UG79), winter grazed (WG), continuously grazed (CG), and heavily grazed (HG) sites) during four growing seasons (May to September) from 2005 to 2008, to investigate the response of the net ecosystem exchange (NEE) over grassland ecosystems to meteorological factors and grazing intensity. At UG79, the optimal air temperature for the half-hourly NEE occurred between 17 and 20 °C, which was relatively low for semi-arid grasslands. The saturated NEE (NEEsat) and temperature sensitivity coefficient (Q 10) of ecosystem respiration (RE) exhibited clear seasonal and interannual variations, which increased with canopy development and the soil water content (SWC, at 5 cm). The total NEE values for the growing seasons from 2005 to 2008 were −32.0, −41.5, −66.1, and −89.8 g C m−2, respectively. Both the amounts and distribution of precipitation during the growing season affected the NEE. The effects of grazing on the CO2 flux increased with the grazing intensity. During the peak growth stage, heavy grazing and winter grazing decreased NEEsat and gross primary production (45 % for HG and 34 % for WG) due to leaf area removal. Both RE and Q 10 were clearly reduced by heavy grazing. Heavy grazing changed the ecosystem from a CO2 sink into a CO2 source, and winter grazing reduced the total CO2 uptake by 79 %. In the early growing season, there was no difference in the NEE between CG and UG79. In addition to the grazing intensity, the effects of grazing on the CO2 flux also varied with the vegetation growth stages and SWC.

Grazing intensity effects on the evapotranspiration (ET) partitioning into evaporation (E) and transpiration (T) were investigated using eddy covariance measurement data during the growing season (May to September) from 2005 to 2008 over typical steppes in Inner Mongolia, China. Four grazing intensities were examined (UG79, ungrazed since 1979; WG, winter grazed; CG, continuously grazed; HG, heavily grazed). Soil water content (SWC) significantly influenced daily T/ET by affecting T and E in different ways. On a monthly scale, T/ET at UG79 (0.46–0.77) increased with vegetation growth regardless of the uneven distribution of precipitation. The mean T/ET at UG79 for the growing season ranged from 0.50 to 0.74 for 2005 to 2008. In the normal precipitation year (2006), WG and HG reduced T/ET because they significantly reduced T through the removal of leaf area. In the dry year (2005), this negative effect on T was depressed by summer droughts, while WG and HG decreased E primarily due to the decreased interception of rainfall by the canopy. The grazing effect on T/ET was opposite to that in 2006. These results indicate that grazing effects on ET partitioning could vary with soil water conditions in the semiarid typical steppe ecosystems.

The turbulence spectra and energy budget were investigated based on eddy covariance method over an open-water highland lake (Erhai Lake) in Southwest China. We estimated the annual total evaporation and CO2 emission from the lake, and the evaporation trend in the past few decades was also discussed. Due to the large thermal inertia of lake water, the surface water temperature lagged behind the air temperature. Maximum lake-air temperature difference of about 4 °C had been observed in November. Water temperature profile measurements revealed that the stratification of lake water was not evident throughout the year. The spectra and cospectra of wind speed and temperature roughly satisfied the −2/3 and −4/3 rule in inertial subrange, respectively. The w spectra were observed to have a larger contribution from higher frequencies than other variables. Obvious shifts of spectra and cospectra peaks toward higher frequencies were observed as the atmospheric stratification became more stable. The lake acted as a heat sink from March through June and quickly released heat into the atmosphere from September through December. Average energy balance closure for the lake was about 80 % in 2012. The lake majorly acted as a source of CO2 to the atmosphere, but weak sinks of CO2 were observed in the summer and early fall. The total annual emission of CO2 was estimated to be 333.28 g C m−2 year−1. The annual evaporation over the lake decreased due to the increased amount of low cloud and precipitation, with the lower annual evaporation in the 1990s compared to that in the 1980s.

Phenology plays an important role in the carbon exchange process. Seven years of continuous eddy covariance data across two different ecosystems in a semiarid area were used to investigate the variation in phenology indices, its effect on the carbon exchange process, and responses to climate change. The results showed that there was large annual variation for vegetation phenology. The GSL (growing season length) displayed an obvious increasing trend for the grassland ecosystem during the 7 years, and it was most determined by SOS (the start day of growing season). The growing season was divided into three periods, the recovery period (S1), the stable period (S2), and the senescence period (S3). Both ecosystems had a similar ratio of Re (ecosystem respiration) to GPP (gross primary production) during S1 and S2 periods but a much larger Re/GPP ratio during the last growing period. The inter-annual variation of the peak rate was most responsible for the NEP (net ecosystem production) and its components (GPP and Re) in both ecosystems. The inter-annual variation of recovery rate, GSL and SOS was found to be closely correlated to Re for the grassland ecosystem, while that could not be found for the cropland ecosystem. The temperature in June was most closely correlated with the peak rate of GPP and NEP for grassland ecosystem, with a significant correlation coefficient of −0.90 and −0.82, respectively. Meanwhile, the precipitation in July was found to be closely correlated with GPP for both ecosystems, with a similar correlation coefficient of 0.83. The precipitation and temperature roughly exhibited an inverse effect on vegetation phenology in this semiarid area. The variation of temperature in the early month and precipitation in mid growing season showed a more significant effect on main phenology indicators for the cropland ecosystem than those for grassland ecosystem.

Eddy covariance measurements from 2012 to 2015 were used to investigate the interannual variation in carbon dioxide exchange and its control over an alpine meadow on the south-east margin of the Tibetan Plateau. The annual net ecosystem exchange (NEE) in the 4 years from 2012 to 2015 was −114.2, −158.5, −159.9 and −212.6 g C m−2 yr−1, and generally decreased with the mean annual air temperature (MAT). An exception occurred in 2014, which had the highest MAT. This was attributed to higher ecosystem respiration (RE) and similar gross primary production (GPP) in 2014 because the GPP increased with the MAT, but became saturated due to the limit in photosynthetic capacity. In the spring (March to May) of 2012, low air temperature (Ta) and drought events delayed grass germination and reduced GPP. In the late wet season (September to October) of 2012 and 2013, the low Ta in September and its negative effects on vegetation growth caused earlier grass senescence and significantly lower GPP. This indicates that the seasonal pattern of Ta has a substantial effect on the annual total GPP, which is consistent with results obtained using the homogeneity-of-slopes (HOS) model. The model results showed that the climatic seasonal variation explained 48.6 % of the GPP variability, while the percentages explained by climatic interannual variation and the ecosystem functional change were 9.7 and 10.6 %, respectively.

Evaluation of the WRF3.7.1 lake model performance on lake physical processes and lake-atmosphere interaction at Erhai Lake was conducted with in-situ observation data sets over the lake to verify the model results. The lake model with default parameters presented significant negative bias during the day and positive bias during the night on lake surface temperature. Calibrations of water absorption and extinction coefficients, surface roughness length and eddy diffusion coefficient were carried out to correct this bias. The added absorption and extinction coefficients increased solar radiation in upper water layer, leading to a little higher surface temperature. Compared to constant surface roughness lengths, parameterization of roughness lengths as functions of friction velocity and fetch length significantly improved simulations of lake surface temperature and sensible heat flux. In Erhai Lake, eddy diffusion coefficient of the Henderson-Sellers parameterization is smaller than that in deep lakes. The eddy diffusion coefficient was reduced by a factor of 0.05 in dry season and 0.02 in wet season respectively to restrict mixing strength, generating a reasonable diurnal range with observed surface temperature. The adjusted parameters simulations matched better with in-situ observations in diurnal cycle of temperature and surface heat fluxes, but still overestimated wind speed. Topographic correction is effective to correct the bias, indicating topographic correction over complex terrain was necessary.

Based on the eddy covariance measurements from June 2011 to December 2013, the seasonal variations and the controls of water and CO2 fluxes were investigated over an alpine meadow in Lijiang, southwest China. The year 2012 had the largest total precipitation among years from 2011 to 2013 (1037.9, 1190.4, and 1066.1 mm, respectively). A spring drought event occurred from March to May 2012, and the peak normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) in 2012 was the lowest. Throughout the whole year, net radiation (Rn), vapor pressure deficit, and air temperature (Ta) were the primary controls on evapotranspiration (ET), and R n is the most important factor. The influence of R n on ET was much more in the wet season (R(2) = 0.93) than in the dry season (R(2) = 0.28). In the wet season, the ratio of ET to equilibrium ET (ETeq) (0.92 ± 0.14; mean ± S.D.) did not show a clear seasonal pattern with NDVI when the soil water content (SWC) was usually more than 0.25 m(3) m(-3), indicating that ET could be predicted well by ETeq (or radiation and temperature). On half-hourly and daily scales, photosynthetic active radiation (PAR) and air temperature were the main meteorological factors in determining the net ecosystem production (NEP). The seasonal trends of NEP were closely related with the change of NDVI. The integrated NEP in the 2012 wet season (157.8 g C m(-2) year(-1)) was 19.5 and 23.8 % lower than in the 2011 and 2013 wet season (207.0 and 196.1 g C m(-2) year(-1)). The mean ET/ETeq for each of the wet seasons from 2011 to 2013 was 0.88. The 2012 spring drought and its reduction in NDVI decreased the total NEP significantly but had little effect on the total ET in the wet season. The different response of NEP and ET to the spring drought was attributed to the high SWC and small vapor pressure deficit during the wet season.

Nitrous oxide (N 2 O) fluxes from a cotton field in northern China were measured for a year using the static chamber method based on a gas chromatograph (GC) and the eddy covariance (EC) technique based on a tunable diode laser (TDL). The aims were to compare the N 2 O fluxes obtained from both techniques, assess the uncertainties in the fluxes and evaluate the annual direct emission factors ( EF d s, i.e. the loss rate of fertilizer nitrogen via N 2 O emission) using the year-round datasets. During the experimental period, the hourly and daily mean chamber fluxes ranged from 0.6 to 781.8 and from 1.2 to 468.8 μg N m −2 h −1 , respectively. The simultaneously measured daily mean EC fluxes varied between −10.8 and 912.0 μg N m −2 h −1 . The EC measurements only provided trustworthy 30-min fluxes during high-emission period (a 20-day period immediately after the irrigation that followed the nitrogen fertilization event). A reliable comparison was confined to the high-emission period and showed that the chamber fluxes were 17–20% lower than the EC fluxes. This difference may implicate the magnitude of systematic underestimation in the fluxes from chamber measurements. The annual emission from the fertilized cotton field was estimated at 1.43 kg N ha −1 yr −1 by the chamber observations and 3.15 kg N ha −1 yr −1 by the EC measurements. The EF d s calculated from the chamber and EC data were 1.04% and 1.65%, respectively. The chamber-based estimate was very close to the default value (1.0%) recommended by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. However, the difference in the EF d s based on the two measurement techniques may vary greatly with changing environmental conditions and management practices. Further comparison studies are still needed to elucidate this issue.