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MexFlux

Ecosystem Fluxes Learning Workshop (TAFE): capacity building and collaborations in Latin America

In preparation for TAFE, an Educational Exchange Workshop on Ecosystem Fluxes (TIEEFE) was held, a space designed to foster pedagogical and scientific exchange among academics and professionals specialized in ecosystem fluxes across the Americas. Instructors from Argentina, Colombia, Chile, and Mexico participated.

👉 To learn more about them, visit https://www.instagram.com/tafe.latinflux/

The main objective of TIEEFE was to collaboratively develop the curriculum and teaching materials for the Ecosystem Fluxes Learning Workshop (TAFE), tailored to Latin American students and researchers interested in the theory and practice of the turbulent flux covariance technique (eddy covariance in English).

During the workshop, participants thoroughly reviewed the thematic program, discussed recent advances, identified common challenges, and proposed strategies to overcome them.

The learning objectives of TAFE include:

  • Understanding the principles of systems thinking, energy balance, and biogeosciences in the face of climate change.

  • Understanding the theoretical foundations, assumptions, and limitations of the micrometeorological method of turbulent flux covariance for measuring energy and matter flows between the ecosystem and the atmosphere.

  • Learning its application at the ecosystem scale, including basic and complementary instrumentation, and good practices for installation and operation.

  • Learning the foundations and application of standardized practices for processing and temporal integration of fluxes.

  • Understanding the theoretical-practical fundamentals of complementary measurements (soil respiration, photosynthesis, transpiration).

  • Learning the application of flux measurements in synthesis studies at various spatial and temporal scales, and their integration with proximal and satellite remote sensing data.

  • Applying them in the development, validation, and use of ecosystem process models.

TAFE is taking place from June 23rd to July 4th at the Instituto de Ecología A.C. (INECOL), the representative site of the CONAHCyT National Laboratory MexFlux. The development of these activities has been possible thanks to financial support from the U.S. Department of Energy through a proposal submitted by the Institute of Ecology of UNAM (a member of MexFlux), AmeriFlux and Fluxnet, and all the effort of the academics associated with MexFlux as well as colleagues from Latin America.

The development of TAFE represents a pride for MexFlux, as it is a goal dreamed of for years, and now a key and concrete step to strengthen the teaching and training in ecosystem fluxes in the region, consolidating local capacities and fostering scientific collaboration networks that contribute to the understanding and sustainable management of ecosystems in the face of climate change challenges.

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