Flux Footprints: A Critical Link to Bridge Eddy‐Covariance Measurements With Models, Remote Sensing, and Other Observations

Abstract

Global networks of eddy‐covariance flux towers play a pivotal role in enhancing our predictive understanding of carbon and water cycling of biological systems in response to regional and global environmental change. Despite their broad application in numerous studies, the spatial aspects of the flux measurements have often been ignored or treated ambiguously, thereby remaining a primary source of uncertainty. The area contributing to the flux—referred to as the flux footprint—varies over time depending on wind direction, atmospheric turbulence, effective measurement heights, surface characteristics, and mesoscale forcings. The footprint dynamics, along with underlying source‐sink heterogeneity, lead to spatial and temporal variability in the sensed fluxes, complicating the interpretation of flux data and their integration with a range of observations and models. This article addresses this critical link by reviewing the most up‐to‐date research, identifying knowledge gaps and challenges, and pointing out future research needs and opportunities. We begin with an overview of the current state of footprint modeling and its applications, from single‐site studies to large‐scale syntheses, summarizing how flux footprints have been used to interpret spatial flux variability and to integrate flux data with models, remote sensing, and other observations. We highlight how this critical spatial aspect could complicate the processing of eddy‐covariance fluxes, the definition of mass and energy continuity, and the interpretation of flux response functions and parameters, all of which have significant implications for numerous applications and research. We then point out potential opportunities and future research needs to bridge this knowledge gap, highlighting both readily available and prominent emerging ones. We conclude by urging the scientific community to (re)consider the spatiotemporal dynamics of eddy‐covariance flux measurements, and to investigate and evaluate potential approaches across scales, applications, and disciplines.

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