Tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS) is a compact, automated, high precision technique and fit for in-situ or field measurements. Two spectroscopy measurement systems, TDLAS and NDIR (non-dispersive infrared spectroscopy), were used to monitor trace gas emission over cropland at Fengqiu Agricultural Ecology Experimental Station for one month. The fluxes of carbon dioxide were estimated by flux-gradient and eddy covariance method, respectively. A footprint model was developed during experiment. Based on this model, the source areas of TDLAS and NDIR were investigated. The effects of different factors on the flux measurement were also analyzed. The authors concluded that the source areas for the two techniques are discrepant in most of the cases. The source areas increase with path length and detecting height. This result will help the installation of instruments.