In this study, we focused on the CO2 exchange during the growing season between the atmosphere and an alpine meadow ecosystem on the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau. We determined the diurnal and seasonal changes in CO2 flux and their dependence on environmental factors, especially soil water content and soil temperature.,The research station is located in northeast Tibet, in a large valley oriented northwest–southeast and surrounded by the Qilian Mountains. The average altitude of the mountains is 4000 m and of the valley is 2900–3500 m. The Datong River passes to the south. The landscape is characterized by large mountain ranges with steep valleys and gorges interspersed with relatively level and wide inter-mountain grassland basins.,The climate at Haibei Station is characterized by low temperature and limited precipitation. The soil is a clay loam, its average thickness is 0.65 m. CO2 and H2O fluxes were measured by the eddy covariance method.
