## 3 Results and Discussion
### Comparison of CO\({}_{2}\) Fluxes and ET during Dormant Seasons among Pastures  
Half-hourly binned diurnal patterns of NEE during the 2020-2021 non-growing season were comparable among pastures (Figure 7a). Peak values of diurnal NEE were also similar (approximately \(-\)2 \(\upmu\)mol m\({}^{-2}\) s\({}^{-1}\)) across months from November to February, with slightly larger discrepancies recorded in March. Similarly, half-hourly binned diurnal patterns of ET were comparable across multiple months and pastures, with diurnal peak values of ET \(<\) 0.05 mm 30-min\({}^{-1}\) (Figure 7b). Some discrepancies in diurnal patterns of NEE and ET might have occurred due to the different averaging periods used to create monthly diurnal values as we binned non-gap-filled half-hourly data. Similar to diurnal patterns, daily ET, NEE, and GPP patterns were comparable among pastures (Figure 8). Average daily ET during November-February ranged from 0.42 \(\pm\) 0.12 (SD) to 0.71 \(\pm\) 0.25 mm d\({}^{-1}\), while daily NEE ranged from 0.81 \(\pm\) 0.31 to 0.96 \(\pm\) 0.39 g C m\({}^{-2}\) d\({}^{-1}\) (except smaller average daily NEE of 0.47 \(\pm\) 0.37 g C m\({}^{-2}\) d\({}^{-1}\) in P18) and daily GPP ranged from 0.63 \(\pm\) 0.28 to 0.94 \(\pm\) 0.55 g C m\({}^{-2}\) d\({}^{-1}\) (except larger average daily GPP of 1.99 \(\pm\) 0.91 g C m\({}^{-2}\) d\({}^{-1}\) in P14). Cumulative ET in P13, P14, P15, and P18, respectively, during November-February of 2020-2021 was 67 \(\pm\) 0.95 (SD), 54 \(\pm\) 1.1, 85 \(\pm\) 1.3, and 48 \(\pm\) 0.34 mm, while cumulative NEE was 105 \(\pm\) 2.1, 100 \(\pm\) 3.2, 109 \(\pm\) 3.1, and 56 \(\pm\) 1.82 g C m\({}^{-2}\) and cumulative GPP was 195, 229, 109, and 96 g C m\({}^{-2}\), respectively. Cumulative values of ET, NEE, and GPP were smaller for P18 compared to other pastures. For the November-March period (2020-2021), cumulative ET was 98 \(\pm\) 1.2, 85 \(\pm\) 1.14, and 117 \(\pm\) 1.5 mm, NEE was 125 \(\pm\) 2.3, 115 \(\pm\) 3.5, and 136 \(\pm\) 3.7 g C m\({}^{-2}\), and GPP was 276, 302, and 181 g C m\({}^{-2}\) in P13, P14, and P15, respectively. Flux data for some winter months of 2020-2021 were missing for P16 and P20. In the 2019-2020 non-growing season, cumulative ET, NEE, and GPP in P16 were 69 \(\pm\) 1.2 mm, 80 \(\pm\) 2.4 g C m\({}^{-2}\), and 165 g C m\({}^{-2}\) for the November-February period and 110 \(\pm\) 1.4 mm, 87 \(\pm\) 3.16 g C m\({}^{-2}\), and 238 g C m\({}^{-2}\) for the November-March period, respectively. Similarly, cumulative ET, NEE, and GPP in P20 were 83 \(\pm\) 1.21 mm, 114 \(\pm\) 4 g C m\({}^{-2}\), and 76 g C m\({}^{-2}\), respectively, for the November-February period of 2019-2020. Figure 7: Half-hourly binned diurnal patterns of net ecosystem CO\({}_{2}\) exchange (NEE) (**a**) and evapotranspiration (ET) (**b**) in multiple prairie pastures during the 2020–2021 non-growing season. Although relatively larger discrepancies among pastures and years were observed in March, there were some differences in cumulative fluxes among pastures even during the November-February period of the same year. Some differences in vegetation phenology and eddy fluxes among pastures during the dormant season can be attributed to additional factors such as differences in plant communities (i.e., C\({}_{3}\):C\({}_{4}\) proportions) and landscape positions [52]. As such, the smaller cumulative CO\({}_{2}\) fluxes and ET in P18 than in other pastures during the drier (167 mm of rainfall compared to 266 mm for the 30-year mean) 2020-2021 non-growing season can be partially attributed to differences in landscape positions and management practices. Pasture 18 is located in an upper landscape position and burned annually, P13 and P16 contain a mixture of lowland through upland elements, P14 is largely an upland site, and P15 represents a lowland position. Pastures 13, 14, 15, and P16 are burned in a 4-5-year rotation.