News
3 August 2022
Applications are now open for the 1st EMME-CARE Autumn School on “Analysis of aerosols, air pollution and their sources in the Eastern Mediterranean” which will take place 31 October - 11 November 2022 in Nicosia, Cyprus. The Autumn School welcomes applications from M.Sc. and Ph.D. students in atmospheric and Earth system sciences. Successful applicants will have the opportunity to work on the analysis of aerosol, greenhouse gas and air pollution data based on the long-term d...
20 July 2022
From 30 May to 1 June, the Biological and Environmental Sciences students of the University of Pavia contributed to the data collection on coralline alga Ellisolandia elongata in Palmaria Island (Regional Park of Porto Venere, LTER Eastern Ligurian Sea Site).After a two years pandemic pause, the students had the opportunity to discover Palmaria Island, its marine and terrestrial ecosystems and the geology, under the guidance of ENEA researchers. In particular, the students contributed to the ann...
20 July 2022
BorealScat-2 is the new radar tower experiment located at Svartberget Experimental Forest for studying temporal variations in forest radar measurements. The tower, previously used in the BorealScat experiment, has been relocated and upgraded.The aim is to investigate forest moisture variations in P-/L-/C-/X-band tower-based radar observations and to develop methods for estimating forest evapotranspiration from space-borne radar observations. The antenna array at 50 m provides full 3D tomographic...
20 July 2022
In the Austrian Eisenwurzen, cultivation of local fruit tree varieties in traditional meadow orchards was an historically important type of land use. While today, this practice is still part of the region’s cultural identity and an important tourism asset, meadow orchards and their many ecological benefits disappeared from most European cultural landscapes during industrialization. In the course of combating climate change and biodiversity loss, however, there has been a renewed focus on agrofor...
19 July 2022
ESFRI (The European Strategy Forum for Research Infrastructures) was founded in 2002 for the purpose of further developing large-scale research facilities and research infrastructure networks in Europe in a strategy-driven and jointly coordinated process. ESFRI consists of delegates from the EU Member States and states associated with the EU Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development along with a representative from the European Commission.The creation of the “ESFRI Roadmap”...
19 July 2022
The 30th session of ERCA is planned to take place in Grenoble and at the Observatoire de Haute Provence for 3 weeks from January 15th to February 2nd, 2023. ERCA is intended as a multidisciplinary course rooted in atmospheric and climate sciences, yet extending to the social aspects of global change and air quality, to hydrology and oceanography, and to environmental chemistry.The organisers "strongly believe that global change issues need international and pluridisciplinary teams to be adressed...
19 July 2022
As part of the AtmoTrace project, funded by Science Foundation Ireland, the Center for Research into Atmospheric Chemistry (University College Cork, Ireland) has currently three PhD positions available focusing on the development of cavity enhanced absorption instrumentation for several applications reaching from laboratory developments, via atmospheric chamber studies, to airborne field campaigns. More information on the corresponding positions and application details can be found here:ht...
18 July 2022
Is there life on Jupiter's moon Europa? An ocean suspected to be under miles of ice gives science hope. But how might it be reached and explored? In March, a six-person research group from the Robotics Innovation Center of the German Research Center of Artificial Intelligence (DFKI) spent two weeks at Abisko Scientific Research Station.Their goal was to test an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) beneath the ice of lake Torneträsk. The researchers are working on developing a robot that can indep...
18 July 2022
BioDT (Biodiversity Digital Twin for Advanced Modelling, Simulation andPrediction Capabilities) is a recently started HE project in which eLTER is closely involved.BioDT aims to enhance the predictive understanding of biodiversity dynamics by developing a Biodiversity Digital Twin (BioDT) providing advanced modelling, simulation and prediction capabilities. By exploiting existing technologies and data from relevant research infrastructures in new ways, BioDT will be able to accurately and quanti...
18 July 2022
The EGU General Assembly 2023 will be held on site at the Austria Center Vienna (ACV), Austria, with online components provided to enable virtual attendance, from 23 to 28 April 2023.You can take an active part in organizing the scientific programme of the conference, from now until 19 September 2022, by suggesting sessions with conveners and description in your preferred programme group. You have the possibility of proposing either physical oral/poster sessions with a hybrid component or hybrid...
18 November 2021
WasserCluster Lunz, an Austrian LTER Master Site, is looking to hire two PhD students from 1.1. 2022.The candidates will be focusing on effects of resource and organismal diversity on decomposition of particulate organic matter with a focus on benthic invertebrate fauna or microorganisms.For more information on job responsibilities and hiring requirements, please visit: https://wcl.ac.at/index.php/en/research/research-opportunities Application deadline: 6.12.2021
24 October 2021
From 28-31March 2022, the first international conference on microclimate ecology and biogeography, supported by the SoilTemp network, will be held in Antwerp, Belgium.
The Microclimate Ecology & Biogeography conference aims to be the first large international conference to put microclimate and its applications in ecology and biogeography on the centre stage. We welcome microclimate enthusiasts with a broad variation of interests, including different spatiotemporal scales , ecosystems an...
8 October 2021
The International Long Term Ecological Research Network (ILTER) announces the start of a webinar series to share and learn research findings using the ILTER sites worldwide.
For the first webinar they have invited as speakers two outstanding young and early-career researchers working on various topics of long-term and site-based ecological or socio-ecological studies:
Dr. Riley Andrade
Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida
ILTER member network: NSF...
28 September 2021
Considered as a major milestone in the development of the French national research infrastructure on Critical Zone "OZCAR", The 1st OZCAR summer school supported by CNRS (French National Centre for Scientific Research) and IRD (French National Institute for Research Development) took place from 11 to 16 July, 2021 at the Séolane centre, located in Barcelonnette, in the Southern Alps.
The school gathered nearly 60 people, 20 speakers and 40 participants with diversity in terms of disciplines,...
2 August 2021
150 people, 40 presentations, 6 countries, 4 sessions, 3 keynotes and 3 workshops: this is how the first Finnish Ecosystem Science Meeting (FESM), that took place at the beginning of May,could be described in numbers.This was the first combined meeting of these environmental research infrastructures in Finland and it was a great success. This kind of shared activity among the RIs shows how fruitful the interactions can be and demonstrates the value of integrated collaboration.The meeting inclu...
20 May 2021
We were saddened to learn recently of the death in January this year of Prof. Bill Heal. Bill was instrumental in setting up the UK's Environmental Change Network, securing substantial funding from the Natural Environment Research Council for both ECN and the TIGER programme.
Bill did his PhD on protozoa at Moor House NNR (an ECN site) and went on to coordinate the International Biological Programme (IBP) research there in the 1960s and '70s. He was an advocate of multidisciplinary research,...
12 November 2017
The Roles of Remote Sensing in Nature Conservation. A Practical Guide and Case Studies by Díaz-Delgado, Lucas and Hurford is published by Springer
During recent decades, a rapid increase in available data sources has enabled researchers to develop hundreds of new remote sensing applications using data provided by new sensors attached to satellites, aircrafts and drones. However, a major challenge remains unresolved: how to transfer the k...
7 September 2017
This paper considers the benefits linking two approaches - Essential Biodiversity Variables (EBV) and Ecosystem Integrity (EI) - in the context of two global networks - ILTER and GEO BON.
The lead author, Peter Haase, along with many of the paper's co-authors, is involved in European LTER and it's development.
Abstract
Global change effects on biodiversity and human well-being call for improved long-term environmental data as...
20 May 2017
The Brief 'Pursuing benefits for nature and society' presents some of the key research findings and practical experiences presented at the international ALTER-Net conference in May 2017 on ‘Nature and society: synergies, conflicts, trade-offs’. It formulates calls to policymakers that follow from these findings and experiences as well as from the panel debate that was part of the conference.Key messages in the Policy Brief are:Considering multiple values, including relational values, is essentia...
19 February 2015
The LTER-Europe conference (19-20 February 2015) starts today in Vienna, Austria, hosted by Environment Agency Austria.
The meeting is an opportunity for representatives from national Long-Term Ecosystem Research (LTER) networks across Europe to meet and share LTER-related issues and new developments within the field. The strategic development of LTER-Europe will be discussed, as will Long-Term Socio-Ecological Research (LTSER). We'll consider new and...
27 September 2021
The second eLTER Interim Council took place from 29-30 June 2021 with 50 representatives of 19 countries and the project’s Steering committee.
Among the important decisions taken during the meeting were the election of Kevin Bishop (Sweden) as the Chair, and Daniel Weselka (Austria) as the Vice-Chair, and the approval of the eLTER RI Strategic Plan and the eLTER Central Services host selection process.
Members decided to direct the Strategic Plan towards both European and global audiences....
31 July 2021
The Global Ecosystem Research Infrastructure (GERI) arranged a session in the vEGU2021. The session consisted of 10 presentations covering topics like water resources and oceans, SDG’s addressed by RIs, climate models informing policy decisions and the fundamental concept of the emerging GERI, which was presented by the eLTER PLUS coordinator, Professor Jaana Bäck.
GERI is a consortium of six distributed RIs (eLTER and ICOS in Europe, TERN in Australia, NEON in US,&nbs...
28 July 2021
Country: PortugaleLTER site: Baixo Sabor LTERThe Baixo Sabor LTsER is located in Portugal, in the region of Trás-os-Montes, within the watershed of the Sabor river (3868 km2), which drains into the Douro river. It encompasses the lower reaches of the Sabor River and the catchment of its tributaries (1590 km2).The research on site aims to understand the long-term consequences of river damming on freshwater and adjacent terrestrial ecosystems. As such, a thorough fish monitoring program has been e...
25 July 2021
The purpose of the document is to provide the various eLTER teams, National Coordinators and the Site and Platform Coordinators with up-to-date information on how to handle their communication on local, national and international level in the best possible way.
Furthermore, the included information could be of general usefulness for the eLTER community even outside of the project. Among the contents of the Handbook are:
- How to write for social media: Twitter / Facebook...
24 July 2021
Country: IsraeleLTER platform: Ramat Hanadiv LTSER PlatformConnected to the edge of the trap is an inverted bottle that traps flies, mosquitoes, moths, and other flying insects. The insects are weighed, identified by experts, and preserved in Israel’s National Nature Collections. The trap is resistant to weather hazards, including the strong winds that blow through the region now and then, and has been fenced by the staff of Ramat Hanadiv to protect it from wildlife damage. The large-holed netti...
23 July 2021
In a collaborative effort of multiple LTER member networks, as well as external input from the University of Maryland and the University of Salzburg, ILTER has funded and recently published an open-access study dedicated to assessing the biogeographical and socio-ecological representativeness of the ILTER site network.The findings of this study and derived recommendations will foster and support the future development of ILTER. The developed methodology also bears relevance for eLTER and has alr...
22 July 2021
The monitoring station of Companhia das Lezírias (CL) joined the LIFEPLAN project, as a representative of the montado landscape. Every week and until 2026, the cE3c team will collect the images and sounds recorded automatically by cameras and audiomoths installed on trees, and samples of spores and flying insects collected with a cyclone sampler and a malaise trap. Soil samples will also be collected 8 times a year. This sampling effort will be alternating every year wit...
20 July 2021
Country: SloveniaeLTER site: Postojna-Planina Cave SystemKarst areas are characterized by solubility of carbonate rocks, resulting in predominantly underground drainage. Due to rapid flow and quick transmission of any substances, these areas are very vulnerable to pollution. Some areas, like large enclosed depressions called poljes, are also susceptible to flooding. This happens when groundwater level rises above surface or when inflow into poljes is larger than outflow through swallow holes.The...
14 July 2021
Following a comprehensive working process eLTER completed a stakeholder assessment identifying six external and one internal stakeholder categories with over 30 groups. The starting point for this mapping exercise was the preliminary stakeholder analysis for the ESFRI application. The initial picture was further developed by several workshops and reflections with internal and external participants. A focus was put on the future eLTER RI coordination and their links to European and national level...
8 July 2021
The Global Ecosystem Research Infrastructure (GERI) arranged a session in the vEGU2021. The session consisted of 10 presentations covering topics like water resources and oceans, SDG’s addressed by RIs, climate models informing policy decisions and the fundamental concept of the emerging GERI, which was presented by the eLTER PLUS coordinator, Professor Jaana Bäck.
GERI is a consortium of six distributed RIs (eLTER and ICOS in Europe, TERN in Australia, NEON in US,&nbs...
2 November 2021
"Frontiers in Soil Science" announced a call for articles for its special issue on "Greenhouse gas measurements in underrepresented areas of the world". The submission deadline is 24 March 2022. This Research Topic aims at facilitating the communication of results from studies that have measured or estimated greenhouse gas fluxes and budgets in underrepresented areas or the world. Submission of original research articles focused on the following themes, both from natural and anthropog...
2 November 2021
The Department of Environmental Systems Science at ETH Zurich and the Paul Scherrer Institute invite applications for a joint professorship in Aerosol Chemistry. The new professor will act as Head of the Laboratory of Atmospheric Chemistry at PSI.
The successful candidate, an internationally renowned expert in the field of aerosol chemistry, will head the Laboratory of Atmospheric Chemistry and will further advance the laboratory’s expertise in the investigation of atmospheric aerosol chemi...
21 September 2021
Insects have an important function for both ecosystems and the economy. Almost 90% of flowering wild plants worldwide depend at least partially on pollination by animals. And more than 75% of all crops also need pollinators if they are to produce a high yield and good quality. But what about these important helpers? Where are their populations threatened? And what can be done about it? So far, there has been a lack of systematic inventories in Europe that can provide answers to these questions....
15 November 2016
The 10th anniversary of the Italian LTER network, which comprises terrestrial, freshwater, coastal and marine sites, will be marked with a conference in Mantova, Italy, on November 16th. The event will be an opportunity to present the results of 10 years of intense environmental research and observation, to celebrate past projects and to discuss new initiatives.
Participants will discuss the achievements of LTER-Italy during this 10 year period and identify areas on which to focus efforts in...
14 November 2016
Several representatives of the eLTER Research Infrastructure that is being developed via the eLTER ESFRI initiative, attended the 3rd ENVRI week in Prague. ENVRI week, which takes place twice a year in November and May, is dedicated to Environmental Research Infrastructures, and is organised by the ENVRIplus project.As well as sessions relating to ENVRIPlus work themes, there were additional sessions such as a joint session between environmental RIs and the Copernicus programme that is...
14 October 2016
From 10-13 October 2016, three hundred delegates from around the globe gathered in Skukuza in South Africa's Kruger National Park for the first ILTER Open Science Meeting.
This landmark event, the first of its kind organised by ILTER (the International Long-Term Ecological Research network), provided an opportunity for scientists to share the research carried out at long-term research sites around the world. In all, some 160 presentation...
14 September 2016
A new paper sets out how the international LTER community could collaborate effectively with the global ICSU Programme on Ecosystem Change and Society (PECS)
Members of the International Long-Term Ecological Research (ILTER) community have published a paper exploring the contribution that their research can make to understanding changes in biodiversity and trade-offs among ecosystem services, stakeholders and components of well-being....
9 March 2016
A video featuring the Montado long-term research site, one of the eLTER project's Transnational Access sites, has been produced by the OPERAs project.
The video explains how the cork plantations of Portugal are some of the most biologically diverse agricultural systems on the planet. Despite this, the unique Montado area is under threat from over exploitation, climate change and disease. The EU-funded OPERAs project has teamed up with Po...
1 February 2016
Dr Mark Frenzel (UFZ, Germany), who is closely involved in developing LTER-Europe, was interviewed recently about how LTER-Europe & EU BON can work together
The European Biodiversity Observation Network, EU BON, has signed memoranda of understanding with almost thirty institutions and projects, aiming at greater collaboration and exchange of expertise. Among the early partners is LTER-Europe. Dr Mark Frenzel, who has had a leading ro...
2 March 2015
LTER-Europe's EnvEurope project picks up an award at Green Week, Brussels
The EnvEurope project, which was started by and developed within LTER-Europe, has recently won an award for Best LIFE Environment Project, 2014. EnvEurope, which was completely dedicated to the LTER-Europe network, was funded by the European Union's LIFE+ programme.
The project contributed to the integration and coordination of long-term ecological research...