Carbon flux and evapotranspiration in an oasis-desert wetland

Wetland is an important part of terrestrial ecosystem because of their unique water-heat effects and greenhouse gas (GHG) metabolic processes. However, the variations in carbon flux and ET in wetland are not yet fully understood. Zhangye wetland is an oasis-desert wetland with complex meteorological conditions. In this study, we used eddy covariance technology and process-based to examine the characteristics of carbon flux and ET over an artificial wetland in an oasis-desert area. The main objectives were to determine that (1) is it a carbon sink or source during the study period? (2) is there a significant relationship between the simulation using Biome-BGC model (Wetland-BGC version) and observation? The results showed that (1) it was a carbon sink in non-growing season in Zhangye wetland, whereas it was a carbon pool during the growing season; and CH
₄
flux influenced the total carbon budget significantly; (2) the relationship between observation and simulation was higher than 0.6 (GPP, R
_eco
and ET), but it was 0.3065 on NEE.