Comparison of regional and ecosystem CO2 fluxes

A budget method to derive the regional surface flux of CO2 from the evolution of the boundary layer is presented and applied. The necessary input for the method can be deduced from a combination of vertical profile measurements of CO2 concentrations by i.e. an airplane, successive radio-soundings and standard measurements of the CO2 concentration near the ground. The method was used to derive the regional flux of CO2 over an agricultural site at Zealand in Denmark during an experiment on 12–13 June 2006. The regional fluxes of CO2 represent a combination of agricultural and forest surface conditions. It was found that the regional flux of CO2 in broad terms follows the behavior of the flux of CO2 at the agricultural (grassland) and the deciduous forest station. The regional flux is comparable not only in size but also in the diurnal (daytime) cycle of CO2 fluxes at the two stations.