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

Site Description

The Oxford flux site is a 1 hectare block of land located at the NW edge of the Canterbury plains near the foothills, South Island, New Zealand: (GPS coordinates: -43.2619, 172.2108; elevation: 235m).

The site is reasonably well watered with only mild summer drought and little winter snow. It started as a fertilized, grazed pasture used to fatten cattle. During the first season it was intensively grazed at monthly intervals through spring to autumn but not during winter. The pasture was dominated by perennial ryegrass, clover and Yorkshire fog.

In the winter of 1996, all animals were removed and seedlings of the native trees kanuka (Kunzea ericoidies) were planted at 1 metre intervals. This species occurs locally and is the main invasive tree species after the removal of grazing pressure.

There is a mast for meteorological instruments (3m), one for the tree albedo measurements (3m) and one for the main flux measurements (2.1m). Fluxes of water vapour, heat and carbon dioxide are made using a closed path eddy technique.

Other measurements include wind speed, wind direction, air temperature, humidity, soil moisture and temperature, incoming and outgoing shortwave radiation and net radiation.

We also measure the shortwave albedo, canopy surface temperature, soil temperature and heat flux of pasture (mown), rank grass and kanuka. Soil respiration, tree growth and above ground biomass are measured at monthly inverals.