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Bridging the Energy Balance Gap in Eddy-Covariance Measurements : Insights From Standardized Network Data

Nicolini, Giacomo ; Durden, David ; Di Fiore, Luca ; Florian, Christopher ; Sabbatini, Simone ; Gielen, Bert ; Iserbyt, Arne ; Loubet, Benjamin ; Mammarella, Ivan and Mariotti, Adriana , et al. (2026) In Global Change Biology 32(5). p.70892-70892
Abstract

The lack of energy balance closure in Eddy-Covariance (EC) measurements is a well-known, still unresolved challenge in micrometeorology, with energy balance closure (EBC) rates typically ranging between 60% and 80%. While numerous hypotheses have been proposed to explain this imbalance, the relative contributions of neglected energy storage terms, data quality and flux processing options remain insufficiently disentangled. Using standardized ICOS and NEON datasets, we show that a significant portion of the observed energy imbalance can be attributed to overlooked or inconsistently handled energy components and turbulent flux quality control. Using data drawn from 84 sites, we show that comprehensive energy accounting-including soil heat... (More)

The lack of energy balance closure in Eddy-Covariance (EC) measurements is a well-known, still unresolved challenge in micrometeorology, with energy balance closure (EBC) rates typically ranging between 60% and 80%. While numerous hypotheses have been proposed to explain this imbalance, the relative contributions of neglected energy storage terms, data quality and flux processing options remain insufficiently disentangled. Using standardized ICOS and NEON datasets, we show that a significant portion of the observed energy imbalance can be attributed to overlooked or inconsistently handled energy components and turbulent flux quality control. Using data drawn from 84 sites, we show that comprehensive energy accounting-including soil heat flux, storage terms (soil, air, biomass), photosynthetic energy demand, and strict quality filtering of turbulent fluxes-improved EBC by 16% on average, with site-specific gains up to 40%. However, we also identify a persistent residual imbalance that is unlikely to be resolved through methodological refinements or additional measurements alone, pointing to fundamental physical processes that are not accounted for in the standard measurement and processing. We argue that this unresolved imbalance should be explicitly acknowledged and bounded, rather than implicitly absorbed into correction schemes, and we outline practical guidance for diagnosing and interpreting EBC in standardized flux networks. This perspective evaluates methodological advances and residual uncertainties, providing an actionable framework for the appropriate use of EC energy fluxes in carbon, water, and climate research.

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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
eddy covariance, energy balance closure, FLUXNET, ICOS, NEON, standardization
in
Global Change Biology
volume
32
issue
5
pages
70892 - 70892
publisher
Wiley-Blackwell
external identifiers
  • scopus:105038191292
  • pmid:42080209
ISSN
1354-1013
DOI
10.1111/gcb.70892
language
English
LU publication?
yes
additional info
Publisher Copyright: © 2026 The Author(s). Global Change Biology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
id
3caf039b-7772-46a5-9b09-1426faee600e
date added to LUP
2026-05-20 17:16:53
date last changed
2026-07-03 02:28:30
@article{3caf039b-7772-46a5-9b09-1426faee600e,
  abstract     = {{<p>The lack of energy balance closure in Eddy-Covariance (EC) measurements is a well-known, still unresolved challenge in micrometeorology, with energy balance closure (EBC) rates typically ranging between 60% and 80%. While numerous hypotheses have been proposed to explain this imbalance, the relative contributions of neglected energy storage terms, data quality and flux processing options remain insufficiently disentangled. Using standardized ICOS and NEON datasets, we show that a significant portion of the observed energy imbalance can be attributed to overlooked or inconsistently handled energy components and turbulent flux quality control. Using data drawn from 84 sites, we show that comprehensive energy accounting-including soil heat flux, storage terms (soil, air, biomass), photosynthetic energy demand, and strict quality filtering of turbulent fluxes-improved EBC by 16% on average, with site-specific gains up to 40%. However, we also identify a persistent residual imbalance that is unlikely to be resolved through methodological refinements or additional measurements alone, pointing to fundamental physical processes that are not accounted for in the standard measurement and processing. We argue that this unresolved imbalance should be explicitly acknowledged and bounded, rather than implicitly absorbed into correction schemes, and we outline practical guidance for diagnosing and interpreting EBC in standardized flux networks. This perspective evaluates methodological advances and residual uncertainties, providing an actionable framework for the appropriate use of EC energy fluxes in carbon, water, and climate research.</p>}},
  author       = {{Nicolini, Giacomo and Durden, David and Di Fiore, Luca and Florian, Christopher and Sabbatini, Simone and Gielen, Bert and Iserbyt, Arne and Loubet, Benjamin and Mammarella, Ivan and Mariotti, Adriana and Op de Beeck, Maarten and Slemmons, Caleb and Trotta, Carlo and Young, Adam and Chabbi, Abad and Feigenwinter, Iris and Heinesch, Bernard and Kowalska, Natalia and Mauder, Matthias and Šigut, Ladislav and van der Molen, Michiel and Bastos Campos, Flavio and Berveiller, Daniel and Brümmer, Christian and Cuntz, Matthias and Domec, Jean Christophe and Dumont, Benjamin and Fares, Silvano and Gianelle, Damiano and Jensen, Rasmus and Kalalian, Carmen and Kljun, Natascha and Lange, Holger and Limousin, Jean Marc and Lundin, Erik and Manco, Antonio and Montagnani, Leonardo and Nemitz, Eiko and Peichl, Matthias and Rinne, Erkka and Roland, Marilyn and Schmidt, Marius and Simioni, Guillaume and Thomas, Abin and Vincke, Caroline and Papale, Dario}},
  issn         = {{1354-1013}},
  keywords     = {{eddy covariance; energy balance closure; FLUXNET; ICOS; NEON; standardization}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{05}},
  number       = {{5}},
  pages        = {{70892--70892}},
  publisher    = {{Wiley-Blackwell}},
  series       = {{Global Change Biology}},
  title        = {{Bridging the Energy Balance Gap in Eddy-Covariance Measurements : Insights From Standardized Network Data}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/gcb.70892}},
  doi          = {{10.1111/gcb.70892}},
  volume       = {{32}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}