Recently reported trends of carbon dioxide uptakes pose the question if trends may results of the digitalization of gas analysers and sonic anemometers used in the 1990s. Simulating a 12 -bit digitalization and the instrument error reported for the R2 and R3 sonic anemometers elsewhere, the influence of these deficits in comparison to the 16 -bit digita lization were quantified. Both issues have an effect only on trace gas fluxes of small magnitude, mainly for the carbon rather than for the water vapour fluxes. The influence on the annual net ecosystem exchange is negligi ble , because, errors resulting fr om the gap filling are much larger.