Eddy Covariance datasets for Arcturus, Qld, from 2011-2013

The Arcturus greenhouse gas (GHG) monitoring station began operation in July 2010 50 km southeast of Emerald, Queensland. The station was part of a collaborative project between Geoscience Australia (GA) and CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research (CMAR) to establish and operate a high precision atmospheric monitoring facility for measurement of baseline greenhouse gases in a geological carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS) region. The primary purpose of the station was to establish newly developed greenhouse gas monitoring technology and demonstrate best practice for regional baseline atmospheric monitoring appropriate for geological storage of carbon dioxide. An Eddy Covariance (EC) flux tower was installed at the station to compliment baseline atmospheric measurements by providing; supplementary meteorlogical measurements, atmospheric turbulence and stability parameters, the net vertical transport of water vapour and CO₂ to (and from) the surface, establishing the energy, water and carbon balance for the area. The site is located in a semi-arid, subtropical clime with a summer (Dec-Feb) wet season. The site lies on the boundary between pasture to the west, and cropping to the east, split north to south. EC measurements were taken at 10 Hz frequency and used to prepare 30 minute averages. Data was collected for 2.5 years from 10 June 2011 to 31 December 2013. It was processed using standard OzFlux methods, involving rigorous QA/QC to ensure the output of high quality data. For more information on the site location, installation and instrument set-up see the Installation Report for Arcturus (Berko et al., 2012), while for more information on the metadata and data store for the EC and baseline monitoring instruments see the Metadata Report: Arcturus atmospheric greenhouse gas monitoring (Etheridge et al. 2014).