GLBRCSURGEAI4AgSys
GLBRC

Bioenergy at the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (GLBRC)

Eddy covariance · Kellogg Biological Station · 2010–present

Eddy covariance towers at Kellogg Biological Station bioenergy plots

Introduction

We employ the eddy covariance (EC) method as our primary tool for continuous measurements of net ecosystem exchanges (NEE) of CO2, H2O, CH4, and energy across seven “Scale-Up Plots” at KBS, which include switchgrass, restored prairie, and continuous corn fields (two land use history), as well as a reference site (a 2 x 3 factorial design).

7KBS Plots
15+Years of Data
3Crop Systems

We hypothesize that significant differences exist in NEE and biophysical regulation among the three biofuel production systems, and that these differences vary over time and by scale.

Data

Long-term open datasets from the GLBRC eddy covariance network:

  • Eddy Covariance Flux Data Long-term NEE, H2O, CH4, and energy flux records from seven KBS Scale-Up Plots (2010–present). Available via AmeriFlux and FLUXNET.
  • FLUXNET-CH4 Methane Upscaling (UpCH4 v1.0) Global wetland methane emission estimates derived from the eddy covariance network (McNicol et al. 2025, AGU Advances).
  • Remote Sensing Biophysical Products Albedo, NDVI, and land surface temperature time series for bioenergy croplands at KBS, derived from MODIS and Landsat imagery.

For data access inquiries, contact Dr. Jiquan Chen.

Team

Dr. Jiquan Chen

Jiquan Chen

Professor & PI

Jie Dai

Jie Dai

Research Associate

Moriz Steiner

Moriz Steiner

PhD Student

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Selected Publications

Dai, J., Chen, J., Lei, C., Falvo, G., & Robertson, G. P. (2026). Estimating fine resolution shortwave broadband albedo of croplands from Harmonized Landsat and Sentinel-2 data. Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology, e250081. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1175/JAMC-D-25-0081.1
Zou, H., J. Chen, X. Li, J. Zhu, X. Liu, Z. Tian, Z. Chen, J. Dai, Z. Xue, and P. G. Robertson. 2025. Contributions of vegetation heterogeneity within tower footprint to CO2 flux estimations through graph neural network modeling. Remote Sensing of Environment 329: 114952. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2025.114952.
Falvo, G., Y. Zhang, M. Abraha, S. Mosier, Y. J. Su, C. Lei, J. Chen, F. Cotrufo, and G. P. Robertson. 2025. Combining eddy covariance towers, field measurements, and the MEMS 2 ecosystem model improves confidence in the climate impacts of bioenergy with carbon capture and storage. Global Change Biology – Bioenergy 17: e70023. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcbb.70023.
Postma, K., S. Mane, M. Shen, M. Kussainova, R. Beisenova, A. Nanda, G. Dong, and J. Chen. 2024. Water loss through evapotranspiration after precipitation events in bioenergy crops grown in similar climatic conditions. Frontiers in Environmental Science 12: 1463852. https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2024.1463852
Zou, H., J. Chen, X. Li, M. Abraha, X. Zhao, and J. Tang. 2024. Modeling net ecosystem exchange of CO2 with gated recurrent unit neural networks. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 350: 109985.
Chen, J., C. Lei, H. Chu, X. Li, M. Torn, Y. P. Wang, P. Sciusco, and G. P. Robertson. 2024. Overlooked cooling effects of albedo in terrestrial ecosystems. Environmental Research Letters 19: 093001. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ad661d
Lei, C., J. Chen, I. Ibanez, P. Sciusco, G. Shirkey, M. Lei, P. Reich, and G. P. Robertson. 2024. Albedo of crops as a nature-based climate solution to global warming. Environmental Research Letters 19: 084032.
Robertson, P. G., B. Wilke, T. Ulbrich, N. M. Haddad, S. K. Hamilton, D. G. Baas, et al. 2024. The LTAR cropland common experiment at the Kellogg Biological Station. Journal of Environmental Quality 53(6): 893–903. https://doi.org/10.1002/jeq2.20638
Chen, J., K. T. Paw U, M. North, and J. F. Franklin. 2024. The contributions of microclimatic information in advancing ecosystem science. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 355: 110105.
Lei, C., J. Chen, and G. P. Robertson. 2023. Climate cooling benefits of cellulosic bioenergy crops from elevated albedo. Global Change Biology – Bioenergy 15(11): 1373–1386.
Sciusco, P., J. Chen, V. Giannico, M. Abraha, C. Lei, G. Shirkey, and G. P. Robertson. 2022. Albedo-induced global warming impacts at multiple temporal scales within an upper Midwest USA. Land 11: 283. https://doi.org/10.3390/land11020283

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Contact

Principal Investigator
Dr. Jiquan Chen
Department of Geography, Environment & Spatial Sciences
Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824

Email: jqchen@msu.edu
Phone: (517) 884-1884
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