News
1 February 2023
Research at the Montado LTSER platform has resulted in a globally interesting paper entitled “Grazing and ecosystem service delivery in global drylands” published in Science 378, 915–920 (2022).This is particularly important when we know that livestock grazing on ecosystem services is a hotly debated topic and a challenging one. In this paper, the grazing effect was assessed, taking into account multiple variables and different properties of rangelands such as soil, climate and biodiversity.The...
30 January 2023
HORIZON-MISS-2022-SOIL-01Lead by: Tristano Bacchetti-De-Gregoris, SAE SpainBudget: ~€3MLifespan: 2023 – 2026The main goal of the CREDIBLE project is to build momentum and trust for the implementation of carbon farming in the EU. This will be primarily achieved by setting up and moderating a network of initiatives, projects and stakeholders for favouring transparency, environmental integrity, and methodology standardisation in soil carbon accounting.Such a Network of Networks will be responsible...
27 January 2023
iDiv, together with the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, announces three full-time employment positions to work with the new European Topic Center on Biodiversity and Ecosystems on the regulatory monitoring of the EU Nature Directives and knowledge and technical support for the Nature Restoration Law.The European Topic Centre Biodiversity and Ecosystems (ETC-BE) is a Consortium of 24 European organisations with expertise in the topic area of terrestrial, freshwater and marine biodivers...
27 January 2023
During a three-day hybrid workshop shortly before Christmas 2022, eLTER met with NEON to discuss several topics and learn from NEON’s long-term experience in operating a large-scale observation facility. NEON is the US National Science Foundation's National Ecological Observatory Network, a continental-scale observation facility operated by Battelle and designed to collect long-term open access ecological data to better understand how the nation’s ecosystems are changing. NEON has been operation...
26 January 2023
While the effects of climate change become apparent, the need for information on the vitality of forests is increasing. Since detailed information is often lacking, the numerous estimates on forest health are contradictory and speculative. Forest remote sensing can close this information gap. With the improvement of sensor technology (e.g., hyperspectral) and the cost-effective use of UAVs, the application possibilities of remote sensing methods for the vitality assessment of woody plants are in...
25 January 2023
The research team of LTSER Estuaries, Portugal, participated at an event in November to mark National Day of the Sea. The event, which was held at the Centro de Artes e Espetáculos, Figueira da Foz, focused on the valorisation of aquatic resources from the river to the sea. The team presented work undertaken in projects conducted around the Mondego estuary LTSER platform that have addressed the valorisation and sustainability of marine resources.Estuarine systems such as Mondego estuary are biod...
25 January 2023
The Department of Geography of the University of Marburg, Working Group Climatology and Remote Sensing, Prof. Dr. Jörg Bendix, is currently accepting appplications for the project "CropHype - Improving plant recognition based on hyperspectral EnMAP data using Geo Engine". It is a position as PhD student, 3 years, 75% of regular working hours. Learn more and apply.
25 January 2023
New research on microplastics using eLTER data has been published. Microplastics (MPs), which are defined as all plastic particles smaller than 5 mm, can create health problems for all living organisms, including humans, due to their very small size. Recent research has shown that, unexpectedly, mountain snowpack can store high amounts of MPs, derived from both atmospheric deposition and local sources (e.g., tourism).During the 2020-2021 winter, the team investigated the MP content of snow at th...
24 January 2023
The Department of Music at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology is looking for a PhD in Musicology and Interdisciplinary Ocean Studies.The PhD candidate will undertake independent research that connects music studies (broadly understood) to marine environmental topics. The PhD candidate will be hosted by the Department of Music and will develop a research project that sits within the university’s strategic research area NTNU Oceans. NTNU Oceans has coordinated several projects in t...
24 January 2023
EuroGEO is Europe’s part of the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) - a worldwide network working to build a Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS). The aim is to provide a coherent picture of environmental and Earth observation in Europe by combining existing Earth observation assets and initiatives. Fundamental to this is the provision of in-situ data for calibration and validation purposes which was emphasized several times during a recent EuroGEO workshop.eLTER was represented at t...
28 September 2021
It will be an exaggeration to say that most people barely remember what working on international projects was like before the COVID-19 pandemic. But it is true that we got used to “the new normal” – seemingly endless virtual meetings, repurposing our homes into offices, all our colleagues suddenly turning into “floating heads” in hazy backgrounds. To some this almost sounds like a dystopian, futuristic novel.However, the hope is that with the vaccination process going strong the situation is slo...
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...
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...
1 July 2013
News of a magazine article on long-term research
"In the era of Big Data, research projects that focus on phenomena that unfold across decades have distinct benefits—and some drawbacks". This article in 'The Scientist' discusses long-term research, it's merits and the associated challenges: http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/36091/title/The-Long-View/
2 February 2013
Several members of ILTER - including Martin Forsius of Finnish LTER - have edited a special issue on ecosystem services.
Ecosystem services: climate change and policy impacts is a special issue of the journal Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, and is edited by Bojie Fu, Martin Forsius and Jian Liu. The issue includes papers by the editors, including one by Forsius et al., which is directly based on Finnish LTER data. Also included is a paper by Vihervaara, et al.,...
27 December 2012
A paper published at the end of 2012 by a team of ILTER members demonstrates the importance of the International Long Term Ecological Research network in studying and monitoring environmental changes at a global level.
The paper, authored by Dr Petteri Vihervaara (Finland) and co-workers, is entitled "Using long-term ecosystem service and biodivers...
11 November 2012
The International Long Term Ecological Research Network (ILTER), of which LTER-Europe is a part, is leading the development of the GEO BON Global Network of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Observation Sites. The medium terms aims of this initiative are to pull together the "community of common interest" of individuals and contact points for sites and networks that would be willing to contribute to the network.
A meta-database of sites will al...