Introduction | Contacts | Purpose | Site Description | Measurements | DEM | Pictures

Site Description

The Gatum Pasture pasture flux station is located on private farmland in south western Victoria, approximately 260km west of Melbourne and 15km north west of the nearest settlement, Cavendish (coordinates: -37.3903, 141.9716). Elevation of the site is 250m asl, and the local terrain has a very slight (<1°) south easterly aspect.

The ecosystem is a sown pasture dominated by phalaris (Phalaris aquatica L.) and subterrenean clover (Trifolium subteraneum L.) that has been regularly fertilised with superphosphate. The pasture is intensively grazed by sheep and cattle. The grass canopy is thus generally <10cm tall, and largely dies off during summer and early autumn. Mean annual precipitation is 736mm (Cavendish Bureau of Meteorology station [ID 089043], 1953-present), and mean annual temperature is 19.2°C (Hamilton Airport Bureau of Meteorology station [ID 090173], 1983-present).

The instrument mast is 3.5m tall. Fluxes of heat, water vapour and carbon dioxide are measured using the open-path eddy covariance technique (at height of 3m). Supplementary measurements above the canopy include temperature, humidity, windspeed, wind direction, rainfall, incoming and reflected shortwave radiation and net radiation. Soil moisture content is measured using frequency domain reflectometry, while soil heat fluxes and temperature are also measured.