A dataset of energy, water vapor, and carbon exchange observations in oasis–desert areas from 2012 to 2021 in a typical endorheic basin

Abstract

Abstract. Oases and deserts generally act as a landscape matrix and mosaic in arid and semiarid regions. The significant difference in thermal and dynamic characteristics between an oasis and desert surface will result in oasis–desert interaction. Specifically, this refers to the interaction between an oasis and desert system via the exchange of momentum, energy, water, and carbon, which can lead to a series of microclimate effects that affect the structure of the atmospheric boundary layer, changes in carbon sources and sinks in an oasis, and the local ecological environment. Therefore, studying water, heat, and carbon exchange is significant to achieve the goals of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality in oasis–desert areas and support the ecological security and sustainable development of oases. To monitor energy, water vapor, and carbon exchange between the land surface and atmosphere, a land surface process integrated observatory network was established in the oasis–desert area in the middle and lower reaches of the Heihe River basin, the second largest endorheic basin in China. In this study, we present a suite of observational datasets from artificial and natural oasis–desert systems that consist of long-term energy, water vapor, carbon and methane fluxes as well as auxiliary data involving hydrometeorology, vegetation, and soil parameters from 2012 to 2021. Half-hourly turbulent flux data were acquired by an eddy covariance system and scintillometer. The hydrometeorological data (including radiation, soil heat flux, and soil temperature profiles; gradients of air temperature and humidity and of wind speed and direction; and air pressure, precipitation, and soil moisture profiles) were observed from automatic weather stations with a 10 min average period as well as the groundwater table data. Moreover, vegetation and soil parameters were also supplemented in the datasets. Careful data processing and quality control were implemented during data production, including data collection, processing, archiving, and sharing. The current datasets can be used to explore the water–heat–carbon process and its mechanism of influence; to calibrate and validate related remote-sensing products; to simulate energy, water vapor, and carbon exchange in oasis and desert areas; and to provide references and representatives for other similar artificial and natural oases along the “Silk Road”. The data are available from the National Tibetan Plateau Third Pole Environment: https://doi.org/10.11888/Terre.tpdc.300441 (Liu et al., 2023).