To better understand how carbon and water move through ecosystems, we tested a new type of compact measurement system called the Carbon Node. These portable systems use LI-COR’s LI-720 sensor, which combines gas concentration and wind measurements in a single unit. We placed several Carbon Nodes across a crop field and compared their data to traditional, larger eddy covariance towers that are commonly used for carbon flux research.

Our goal was to see if the smaller systems could reliably measure differences in carbon uptake and water loss (evapotranspiration) across the field, especially in response to things like irrigation, fertilizer, and plant growth. We found strong agreement between the Carbon Nodes and the larger reference systems, showing that these compact tools can capture accurate data across a range of conditions.

Because they are low-power and easy to move, Carbon Nodes make it possible to study spatial patterns in carbon and water fluxes more effectively than single-tower systems. This type of distributed sensor network could play an important role in efforts to monitor carbon sequestration, improve land management, and support climate-smart agriculture.