The exchange of heat and water between land surface and atmosphere, which strongly depends on the characteristics of the land surface, play an important role in climate change and water cycle. Since the first Qinghai-Tibet plateau meteorological experiment (QXPMEX) in 1979, a large amount of experimental data on land surface processes have been collected and great progresses have been achieved, though most of these researches focused on some special regions. China covers a large area across the tropical, the subtropical and the temperate with the Pacific on the east and the world's highest plateau - the Qinghai-Tibet plateau on the west. A comprehensive understanding of the energy and water exchange processes between the land surface and atmosphere in different climate zones has an important significance for improving the land surface models, revealing the characteristics of land surface processes and climate change and their interactions, predicting climate change and preventing natural disasters.
Land surface process observation network (LASON) is one of the six special observation networks established in April 2014 by the Chinese Academy of Science. The network is led by the Pingliang Land Surface Process and Sever Weather Research Station, with member stations whose main research activities are related to the exploration of the land surface process and its interaction with the atmosphere. The network is established to meet the need for strengthening the ability of China to adapt climate changes, especially the need for coping with extreme weather events. The network explores the water and heat exchanges between the land surface-atmospheric boundary layer-free atmosphere and their interactions with climate change over arid and semi-arid zones and the Tibetan plateau, focusing on the coupling mechanisms of land surface processes and atmospheric boundary layer in different climate zones, the development of land surface models and the interaction mechanisms between land surface processes and climate change. Main observations include: ground radiation balance and surface energy fluxes; meteorological gradients in atmospheric boundary layer; soil temperature and moisture, soil heat flux and profiles of wind and temperature in atmospheric boundary layer.
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