The Eddy Covariance Tower at Maludam National Park in Betong is one of three such towers in the state that have been running for more than 10 years in Malaysia.
KUCHING (Aug 12): Sarawak is the only state in the country that currently has three Eddy Covariance Towers which have been running for more than a decade, says Dr Lulie Melling.
According to the Sarawak Tropical Peat Research Institute (Tropi) director, the state is also the pioneer in the world to commission three of such towers on tropical peatland.
“The three towers are located at Naman Oil Palm Plantation in Sibu; Cermat Ceria Plantation and Maludam National Park in Betong.
“Our towers are also currently the only ones being maintained by a research institute in Malaysia,” she told The Borneo Post.
An Eddy Covariance, also known as Eddy Flux, is a direct measurement method for quantifying carbon dioxide emission rate as well as to monitor and improve carbon dioxide storage efficiency.
Lulie said the tower at Maludam National Park is the most comprehensive and longest systematic documentation of a tropical peat-swamp forest in the world.
Among the documentation, she said, are data on carbon flux, meteorological data, soil chemistry, watertable, subsidence, tree inventory and biomass.
“The decision to set up these towers in 2010 was in line with the Sarawak government’s commitment on environmental sustainability,” she added.
She said major regulatory bodies such as the ‘IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories’ under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) use the Eddy Covariance method.
“The method is mathematically complex and requires careful setup, execution and data processing,” she said.
She also pointed out that a long-term Eddy Covariance provides an effective technique for measuring annual rates of carbon exchange.
“The long-term precision of the approach is the basis for the measurement of carbon credit for carbon trading and auditing.
“The best method to calculate carbon is through the Eddy Flux Tower which Tropi has for peat lands in Malaysia and our work is the most comprehensive one available here,” she explained.
Tropi’s years of research have created quite a reputation for the state so much so that the research institute is currently the only organisation representing Malaysia to have its work cited in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), an intergovernmental body of the United Nations responsible for advancing knowledge on human-induced climate change.
“It is because of our reputation in the field that we were given the honour to host AsiaFlux 2022, which will be held in Sarawak for the first time,” said Lulie.
AsiaFlux is a conference for scientists to share advances and information on greenhouse gases (GHG) cycling and issues on environmental sciences of tropical peat.
Organised by the Malaysian Peat Society (MPS), in partnership with Tropi and AsiaFlux Science Steering Committee, the international conference will be held at Tropi in Kota Samarahan from Sept 20 to 22.
Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg is expected to officiate the event during the AsiaFlux Peat Gala Night on Sept 20.
Lulie, who serves as the event organising chairperson, said AsiaFlux serves as an ideal platform for researchers, academicians, industry professionals and policymakers to congregate, share information, and discuss current trends on the topic of greenhouse gases cycling, among others.
“There will be international speakers and industry experts all the way from Germany, Hong Kong, Estonia, Japan, USA and of course, Malaysia who will deliver their presentations and deliberate with the participants over six purposeful sub-themes,” she said.
She said around 500 delegates from more than 20 countries will be attending the three-day conference.
“So far, we have around 200 delegates who have already registered to attend,” she added.
She extended her gratitude to Abang Johari for his commitment to the environment and the economic development of the state by supporting Tropi as well as the organisation of the AsiaFlux here.
Registration for the conference is now open with early bird registration ending on Aug 20 while online registration will end on Aug 31.
For more information, contact the AsiaFlux 2022 Secretariat at 082-662491 or email to [email protected].