Development of a Data Assimilation System to Study Ecosystem Exchange of Carbon at the National Scale Using Data from the National Ecological Observatory Network

Ecosystem exchange of carbon is a key measure of productivity and ecosystem health. Understanding ecosystem carbon exchange at the regional and continental scale is required to diagnose the global carbon cycle where the present uptake of carbon is uncertain and the future uptake of carbon is difficult to predict. The National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) is a continental scale system that will collect consistent, calibrated data from 60 sites in the continental US, Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico over 30 years. We present the proposed structure of a model to predict carbon exchange over the NEON Realm using the data collected by NEON. The land surface model based on the NCAR Community Land Model will have the capability to assimilate tower based flux data and other data collected by NEON and other institutions. NEON data and information products will be freely and openly available to scientists, educators, students, decision makers, and the public.