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Abstract. Accurate air temperature measurements are essential in eddy covariance systems, not only for determining sensible heat flux but also for applying density effect corrections (DECs) to water vapor and CO2 fluxes. However, the influence of wind-induced vibrations of mounting structures on temperature fluctuations remains a subject of investigation. This study examines 30 min average temperature variances and fluxes using eddy covariance systems, combining Campbell Scientific sonic anemometers with closely co-located fine-wire thermocouples alongside LI-COR CO2–H2O gas analyzers at multiple heights above a sagebrush ecosystem. The variances of sonic temperature after humidity corrections (Ts) and sensible heat fluxes derived from Ts are underestimated (e.g., by approximately 5 % for temperature variances and 4 % for sensible heat fluxes at 40.2 m, respectively) as compared with those measured by a fine-wire thermocouple (Tc). Spectral analysis illustrates that these underestimated variances and fluxes are caused by the lower energy levels in the Ts spectra than the Tc spectra in the low-frequency range (natural frequency < 0.02 Hz). These underestimated Ts spectra in the low-frequency range become more pronounced with increasing wind speeds, especially when wind speed exceeds 10 m s−1. Moreover, the underestimated temperature variances and fluxes cause overestimated water vapor and CO2 fluxes through DEC. Our analysis suggests that these underestimations when using Ts are likely due to wind-induced vibrations affecting the tower and mounting arms, altering the time of flight of ultrasonic signals along three sonic measurement paths. This study underscores the importance of further investigations to develop corrections for these errors. 

Abstract It is well‐established that large eddies significantly influence the turbulent transport of heat and scalars in the atmospheric surface layer. However, the mechanistic understanding of how large eddies originating from both the ground (updrafts) and aloft (downdrafts) regulate flux convergence (FC) and divergence (FD) remains relatively unexplored. Based on turbulence data measured at 12 levels, spanning from 1.2 to 60.5 m above the ground, we observe a notable increase in the variability of sensible heat flux magnitudes with height. Our results show that FC and FD of sensible heat are primarily linked to variations in the respective transport efficiencies () at different heights. Using the cross‐wavelet transform, we find that in FC cases, the regions with high wavelet coherence expand with height, resulting in higher at higher levels compared to low ones. Conversely, in FD cases, the regions with high wavelet coherence decrease with height, leading to lower at higher levels. Large eddies with length scales of approximately 120–500 m have a significant impact on amplifying or attenuating at higher levels compared to lower levels. Using conditional sampling to extract the updrafts and downdrafts of large eddies, distinct patterns are observed in the characteristics of updrafts and downdrafts between FC and FD groups especially in their flux contribution and transport efficiencies. This work emphasizes the significant contribution of asymmetric turbulent transport by updrafts and downdrafts to the discrepancy between the observed turbulent fluxes and those predicted by the Monin‐Obukhov similarity theory.