A 10-Year Dataset of Land Surface Observations for the Semi-Humid Alpine Grassland in the Source Region of the Yellow River

Abstract The source region of the Yellow River, accounting for over 38% of its total runoff, is a critical catchment area, primarily characterized by alpine grasslands. In 2005, the Maqu land surface processes observational site was established to monitor climate, land surface dynamics, and hydrological variability in this region. Over a 10-year period (2010–19), an extensive observational dataset was compiled, now available to the scientific community. This dataset includes comprehensive details on site characteristics, instrumentation, and data processing methods, covering meteorological and radiative fluxes, energy exchanges, soil moisture dynamics, and heat transfer properties. The dataset is particularly valuable for researchers studying land surface processes, land–atmosphere interactions, and climate modeling, and may also benefit ecological, hydrological, and water resource studies. The report ends with a discussion on perspectives and challenges of continued observational monitoring in this region, focusing on issues such as cryosphere influences, complex topography, and ecological changes like the encroachment of weeds and scrubland.