A dataset of observational key parameters in carbon and water fluxes in a semi-arid steppe, Inner Mongolia (2012 – 2020): based on a long-term manipulative experiment of precipitation pattern

However, there is a lack of long-term experiments and observational data on the responses of carbon and water processes to precipitation pattern changes in grassland ecosystem. Based on the long-term precipitation pattern manipulative experiment (including seven precipitation amount and rain event frequency treatments), seasonal dynamics of ecosystem carbon and water fluxes were collected during 2012-2020 in Xilin Gol grassland, Inner Mongolia.

The dataset contains two data files, including the meteorological environmental data file (e.g. annual precipitation, air temperature, soil moisture, and soil temperature) and the carbon and water fluxes data file (e.g. ecosystem gross primary productivity, ecosystem respiration, net ecosystem carbon exchange, evapotranspiration, carbon use efficiency, and water use efficiency). This dataset will provide an important data supporting for understanding of the responses of carbon and water cycles and their coupling processes to future precipitation regime in grasslands, Northern China.