OzFlux is part of an international network (FluxNet) of over 500 flux stations that is designed to provide continuous, long-term micrometeorological measurements for monitoring the state of ecosystems globally. As such, OzFlux was established to provide the Australian and global modelling communities with consistent observations of energy, carbon and water exchange between the atmosphere and the key ecosystems of Australia and New Zealand. In this special issue, we will discuss the biogeochemical cycling of carbon, water and nutrients in many of these ecosystems (tropical rainforest and savanna, schlerophyll forest and woodland, alpine meadow, peatland, semi-arid woodland and savanna, croplands and pastures) at local and continental scales. Using flux measurements, models and remote sensing, we will explore ecosystem dynamics (productivity, respiration, evapotranspiration, water-use efficiency) within the context of climate fluctuations, meteorological drivers, phenology and management activities.