Carbon Flux Measurement Supersites of the Russian Federation: Objectives, Methodology, Prospects

To study greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes in natural ecosystems and develop technological solutions for reducing their emission and increasing their uptake from the atmosphere, the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation has launched the pilot project on the creation of a network of supersites for measuring GHG fluxes in Russia. The pilot project is an important part of the low-carbon development strategy to decarbonize the Russian economy, adapt it to the global energy transition, reduce GHG emissions into the atmosphere and achieve carbon neutrality in Russia by 2060. To achieve the main objectives, the pilot project uses an integrated approach including ground-based measurements of GHG fluxes and carbon budgets, remote sensing observations, and mathematical modeling. A wide range of experimental methods are used to directly and indirectly determine GHG fluxes. Direct methods for in situ flux measurements include eddy covariance and chamber methods. Indirect estimation of carbon dioxide fluxes is based on analysis of changes in vegetation and soil carbon pools. Carbon supersites for the study of GHG fluxes are established in the most representative natural terrestrial and aquatic ecosystem types of Russia as well as in human-altered landscapes. Experimental data on fluxes at carbon flux supersites allow to assess the range of spatial and temporal variability of GHG release and uptake on the territory of the Russian Federation and to obtain more accurate estimates of GHG fluxes at regional and national levels. In addition, these data serve as a scientific basis for the development of new technologies to manage GHG emissions and uptake by natural ecosystems.