EC Site PFT Explorer

Overview

This database provides a refined attribution of Plant Functional Type (PFT) fractions for Eddy Covariance (EC) sites. Accurate vegetation characterization of EC sites is crucial for validating Land Surface Models (LSMs), such as ORCHIDEE, and reducing uncertainty in carbon, water, and energy flux simulations.

The detailed context and methodology is presented in the reference paper:
(in prep., DOI available upon publication)

PFT attribution process

We derived site-specific vegetation fractions by combining multiple information sources:

Site documentation: Metadata from networks (FLUXNET, ICOS, AmeriFlux, NEON, OzFlux, AsiaFlux) and Principal Investigator (PI) reports.
Literature review: Analysis of related publications describing species composition, management history, and canopy structure.
Satellite imagery: Visual interpretation of high-resolution imagery (e.g., Google Maps, Phenocams) and ESA CCI land cover derived PFT maps at 300m resolution (Harper et al., 2023) within the tower footprint.

Classification

Generic PFTs: Broad functional groups (e.g., Tree Broadleaf Deciduous) derived from ESA CCI classes and C3/C4 photosynthesis partitioning.
ORCHIDEE PFTs: A model-specific classification (15 classes) that further groups vegetation based on climatic zones (using Köppen-Geiger maps) and photosynthetic pathways.

Quality & confidence flags

To help users identify reliable sites for model calibration, we provide three distinct flags:

1. PFT confidence flag (A-C)

Indicates the consistency between the various information sources used for PFT attribution.

A (High): Multiple sources agree on the main vegetation type and fractions, the imagery is consistent with the metadata and the attribution required little expert judgment.
B (Medium): Sources show minor discrepancies, or one important source is missing but the other sources are consistent.
C (Low): Sources show major discrepancies (e.g. different main vegetation type) or the attribution rests on limited information (e.g. only IGBP class).

2. Data coverage flag (a-d)

Represents the completeness of the flux measurements after applying an automated cleaning algorithm to remove outliers and spurious data.

a: 90-100% valid data
b: 70-90% valid data
c: 50-70% valid data
d: <50% valid data

3. ORCHIDEE model-data agreement flag (1-4)

Quantifies the match between ORCHIDEE simulations and observed fluxes based on correlation, variability, and bias (1 = Best agreement).

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User guide

Presentation

This tool is designed to visualize and filter a list of eddy covariance sites used for calibrating and evaluating land surface models (LSM) such as ORCHIDEE.
It allows users to explore the LSM-ready PFT fractions of each site, assess their relevance for specific studies, and facilitate the selection of site subsets for analysis.

1. Visualizing & filtering

Customize how you view the data using the control bar at the top:

PFT type: Switch the entire interface (legend, table columns, and filters) between generic classes and ORCHIDEE LSM specific classes.
Color markers by: Change the map coloring logic (e.g., visualize by climate zone, confidence level, dataset...).
Filters: Click the buttons (PFT, Climate, Dataset...) to open the filter panels. Multiple selections are allowed.
Checkbox: Check the boxes to manually select the sites. Activate the "Show my selection" option to display only these sites on the map and in the table.

2. Interacting with sites

Map popups: Click a marker to see site summary. Use the buttons inside the popup to open the full details, view time series/satellite images, or access the external viewer.
Viewing images: Open the satellite images (Google maps imagery used for the PFT attribution) or the time series viewer (displaying carbon and energy fluxes).
Table search: Use the search box above the table to find specific sites by ID (e.g., "FR-Fon") or name.
Site details: The "View details" modal provides all metadata, including PFT fractions, source references, remarks about the EC site, etc.

3. Editing & contributing

Session editing: You can click Edit on a site to test changes (e.g., modifying a PFT fraction). Note: These changes apply only to your current session and downloaded CSVs; they do not update the central database.
Suggesting corrections: If you find an error in the permanent database, use the yellow "Suggest a correction" button in the map popup to open an issue on our GitLab repository.

4. Exporting data

You can download the data in CSV format at any time.
"Download data" respects your current filters and edits, and allows you to select exactly which columns (attributes) you wish to include. If you have manually selected sites, only those you have selected will be taken into account. With no filters or selection active, it exports the full database.

PFTs & Climate classification

See https://orchidas.lsce.ipsl.fr/dev/lccci/tools.php or the reference paper (Tartaglione et al., 2026, in prep.) for more information about the cross-walking tables.

PFT (Plant Functional Type) descriptions

Generic PFTs

ORCHIDEE PFTs

Climate classification (Köppen-Geiger)

The climate classes are based on the Köppen-Geiger climate classification .

Classes are joined into 7 groups following the table below (KG31 → KG7).

Site ID Site name Latitude (°) Longitude (°) Dataset(s) Network/Hub Köppen-Geiger (KG7) PFT confidence flag Data coverage flag Dominant generic PFT Generic PFT fractions Dominant ORCHIDEE PFT ORCHIDEE fractions WarmWinter2020 year FLUXNET2015 year FLUXNET2007 year Sources Remarks

Eddy Covariance Site PFT Explorer

Site database