AmeriFlux Tech Team
The AmeriFlux Technical Team ensures that the AmeriFlux network maintains its adherence to high quality, comparability, and continuity of observations—all the while exhibiting the flexibility necessary to foster innovation.
The Tech Team provides technical support and QA/QC resources to all sites in the AmeriFlux network. AmeriFlux QA/QC activities reduce measurement uncertainties and increase network comparability, using (for example) gold-files to test data processing code, and roving eddy-covariance systems to test data acquisition and instrument performance. Such support also takes the form of supplying CO2 standards and calibrated PAR sensors, and expert technical support whenever it is requested. In addition, the Tech Team offers certain site-specific capabilities, e.g., methane flux intercomparisons.
The Tech Team makes AmeriFlux site visits during the summer field season (typically May through early September) to evaluate instrumentation and calibrate using one of their roving portable eddy covariance systems.
See the Site Visits page to find out more about this service, and to request a site visit.
You can contact the Tech Team at [email protected].
Read this story on how the Tech Team helped after a wildfire swept through one AmeriFlux site…
Meet the Team!
From RIGHT to LEFT (backwards!)
Sébastien Biraud ([email protected], LBNL)—Sébastien is QA/QC Tech team lead. He brings many years of experience in precise trace gas measurement and QA/QC, working in South Great Plains, North Slope of Alaska, and Eastern North Atlantic DOE/ARM sites. He is the PI of the ARM Carbon (ARM Infrastructure) and Airborne Carbon (ACME) programs.
David Billesbach (U. Nebraska–Lincoln)—Dave has many years of experience with instrumentation used at AmeriFlux sites. He has served on the LI-COR Instrumentation Advisory Committee, and has designed, integrated and operated flux systems in ecosystems ranging from semi-arid grasslands to the arctic tundra.
Chad Hanson (Oregon State U.)—Chad has been OSU’s AmeriFlux QA/QC Tech lead since 2008. He built roving eddy covariance systems and played a major role in the OSU QA/QC lab’s emerging technology activities through prototype and beta testing of various environmental sensors as well as producing high-precision CO2 standards for the network and running the PAR calibration program.
Stephen Chan ([email protected], LBNL)—In Spring 2013 Stephen joined the LBNL AmeriFlux QA/QC Tech team from OSU where he was a postdoctoral scientist. He brings over eight years of micrometeorological experience. Stephen has installed, maintained, and operated numerous flux sites throughout the U.S. and internationally.