Das Projekt "Developing an understanding of Trace Gas Fluxes over complex surfaces - TRACEFLUX" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Technische Universität Dresden, Bereich Bau und Umwelt, Fachrichtung Hydrowissenschaften , Institut für Hydrologie und Meteorologie, Professur für Meteorologie durchgeführt. The sources and sinks of significant trace gases (CO2, H2O, NOx, VOC, O3) of complex heterogeneous rough surfaces like forests will be investigated by measurements (eddy covariance, relaxed eddy accumulation), analysis (FFT, wavelet) and footprint modelling. The research competence sought lies in the following fields: Atmospheric turbulence analysis (wavelet analysis), modelling of lateral atmospheric transport in the surface layer (numerical footprint modelling), atmospheric chemistry, and measurement of 'new' trace gases (NOx, VOC, Ozone, atmospheric tracers) over forests. Currently water, carbon and energy balance studies from stand level to small and large catchment level are performed by experiment (micrometerological, hydrological and remote sensing techniques) in cooperation with ecologists and soil scientists. Long term continuous measurements by eddy covariance of vapour and CO2 flux since 1996 are accompanied by an excellent documentation of ecological parameters and their spatial distribution. The work to be performed includes: (i) Localising the sources and sinks by footprint modelling and wavelet analysis/FFT ('functional footprints'), (ii) characterise the spatial structure of a heterogeneous surface, (iii) measurement of trace gases (NOx, VOC, Ozone, atmospheric tracers) over forests by a combination of techniques including eddy covariance (EC) and relaxed eddy accumulation (REA), and (iv) footprint model validation in the disturbed atmospheric surface layer by atmospheric tracers.