AmeriFlux Management Project

AmeriFlux is a network of more than 400 sites in the Western Hemisphere and thousands of scientists that measure and research ecosystem

ecosystem

A natural community of plants, animals, and other living organisms and the physical environment in which they live and interact.

Source: A student's guide to Global Climate Change Source

carbon, water and energy fluxes.

flux

The amount of some type of particle or energy crossing a unit area per unit time.

Source: NRC Library Source

The largest flows of carbon between the land and atmosphere are from terrestrial

terrestrial

The geographical and biological features that are associated with the Earth's solid, rocky surface, residing on or resembling the land or terrain found on our planet.

Source: NASA Source

ecosystem photosynthesis and respiration,

respiration

The process whereby living organisms consume CO², convert it to energy, and release it as O².

Source: EPA Environmental Protection Agency Source

and have profound impacts on climate and atmospheric composition.