The French ICOS ecosystem monitoring sites: an overview
Résumé
The ICOS research infrastructure include atmospheric, ecosystem and marine station networks. The Ecosystem station network of ICOS (ESN) is based on a number of observation sites for monitoring and understanding the functioning of ecosystems and the exchange of energy and greenhouse gases between the ecosystems and the atmosphere in relation to climate and management. ESN use a large set of standardised instruments to perform continuous and intensive measurement of meteorological and micrometeorological variables. France is a founding member of the ICOS ERIC. The French part ICOS France is a cooperation of several research institutes: INRA, CNRS and ANDRA. The French ICOS ecosystem network is extensive and includes eight observation sites ( 4 Class 1, 4 class 2), in addition seven associated sites also contribute to the network. The network samples a wide range of ecosystems (forest, crop and grassland), of management and of climate (from cold mountain climate, to tropical humid in Guyana, and including wet oceanic and dry Mediterranean climate). A number of sites within the network have a long history of eddy flux measurements with some sites being continuously monitored since 1996 making them pioneer and good candidate for long term carbon cycle observation.We will provide an overview of the sites, and of the measurement system (sensor and data flow). We will then present the current status of the network, recent measurement and preliminary findings.