Cap Prud'homme (CAP) is located on the coast of the Antractic Ice sheet (Dumont d'Urville station). Mass balance is measured alo,g 3 different stake networks at the camp and over 150 km inland. Meteorological information are recorded at 2 stations. Dynamics of the ice is measured on the Astrolabe glacier. CAP is a part of the French Glacier Observatory GLACIOCLIM/CRYOBS-CLIM.

Saint-Sorlin glacier (SSO) is located in the Arvan valley, between 2700 and 3400 m altitude. The glacier is situated in the Grandes Rousses massif, and one of the glaciers with longest records of glacier mass balance worldwide. Data series are continuous and cover few decades (more than 50 years of mass balance measurements).This site is also characterized by the complete glaciological parameters performed annually to complete annual and seasonnal mass balance : ice velocity, ice thickness variation, snout position.In addition, meteorological observations complete the data base. 1 weather station, running since 2005, is located on the moraine, close to the snout of the glacier. SSO is a part of the French Glacier Observatory GLACIOCLIM/CRYOBS-CLIM.

Zongo Glacier is located in the Huayna Potosi region (Cordillera Real, Bolivia) 30 km north of La Paz city, between the dry Altiplano plateau in the west and the wet Amazonian basin in the east, under outer tropics meteorological conditions (strong seasonality in precipitation, low seasonality in temperature).

Concordia is a joint French-Italian research facility opened in 2005 on the Antarctic Plateau, Antarctica (-75.1, 123.33), managed together by PNRA (Italian National Antarctic Programme) and IPEV (Institut Polaire Francais Paul Emile Victor). It is built at 3,233 m above sea level on the third highest summit of Antarctica: Dome C.

The Mase rice paddy site is a flux station in the AsiaFlux micrometeorological tower network. Located in a regularly cultivated rice paddy area of the Kanto plain in Japan, the site was established in 1999. The initial motivation was to quantify the energy and carbon balance in the rice paddy (ca, 54 a) where the tower was situated. Because of the accessibility and line-power availability, the site has involved many researchers and students from universities and institutes, broadening its target to studies on satellite and field remote sensing, ecosystem modelling, and nutrient cycling.

Otsuchi bay is one of the bays on the Sanriku ria coast of northern Japan opening into the western North Pacific Ocean, which was heavily impacted by the mega-earthquake and following massive tsunami occurred on March 11, 2011.

It is located in the region of the Grand Causses, south of the Massif Central. The karstic aquifer of Durzon represents a surface of 100 km² which feeds the spring of Durzon. This spring supplies the drinking water of the Aveyron part of Larzac. The observatory has a set of sites dedicated to gravimetric, inclinometric and hydro-geodesic observations, as well as a flow tower for evapotranspiration measurements.

Small agricultural catchment (263 ha) in a Mediterranean environment with 20 years of data: impact of global change (climate and anthropogenic activities as agricultural practices) on water and erosion balance, fluxes and quality. Soils: Calcic Cambisols (63.5%), Regosols (25.5%), Eutric Regosols (9.6%) and Chromic Vertisols (1.4%). Main cultures: cereals and leguminous. Continuous automatic measurements at nested scales from plot to catchment outlet (surface runoff, shallow groundwaters, surface-atmosphere fluxes) and continuous monitoring of anthropogenic activities . More information available on http://www.obs-omere.org. Kamech experimental catchment belongs to the French SOERE-RBV Network.

The Victorian Dry Eucalypt SuperSite is a member of the Australian SuperSite Network (SuperSites, http://www.supersites.net.au/), a facility within the Australian Terrestrial Ecosystem Network (TERN, http://www.tern.org.au/) and has two nodes (Whroo and Wombat). The Victorian Dry Eucalypt SuperSite - Whroo site near Shepparton was established in 2011. The vegetation is dominated by two main Eucalypt species: Eucalyptus microcarpa (Grey Box) and Eucalyptus leucoxylon (Yellow Gum). Smaller numbers of Eucalyptus sideroxylon (Ironbark) and Acacia pycnantha (Golden Wattle) are also found on site. The surrounding area includes the Whroo Historical area, and Rushworth State containing remnant native vegetation. Key research objectives include: • What are the elements of structure, composition, functions and processes of the dry eucalypt forests of South Eastern Australia required for the sustainable management of these ecosystems? • What is the carbon sink/source strength of a dry sclerophyll forest and what is their contribution to Australia’s National Carbon Inventory? • What is the magnitude of emission and/or uptake of non-CO2 greenhouse gases, such as nitrous oxide and methane of dry eucalypt forest? • How will climate variability, drought or fire influence the ecosystem processes of dry eucalypt forest? . The site is on the lands of the Ngurai-illam-wurrung Aboriginal people.

Mukhrino Field Station is owned and run by the UNESCO Chair on Environmental Dynamics and Climate Change at the Yugra State University, Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia. The Mukhrino Field Station is located at the east bank of the Irtysh River near the confluence with the Ob River in the central taiga area of Western Siberia (60°54’ N, 68°42’ E), 30 km south-west of the town of Khanty-Mansiysk (60 000 inhabitants). Due to the severe continental climate, the environmental conditions in the region are comparable with the sub-arctic zone of Northern Europe. The research site is representative for the Western Siberian pristine carbon accumulating peatland ecosystem (“plain mires”). The mires cover c. 60 % of the land surface and can be regarded as important sources/sinks of greenhouse gases and aerosols. The main mire type of the site is raised bogs of the type Pine-dwarf shrubs-bogs (Ryam) characterized by pine trees, Ledum palustre and dwarf shrubs, with areas of Sphagnum fuscum. Interspersed are mires of the type Poor fens (partly drained in the summer) dominated by Carex lasiocarpa and other graminoids, and Sphagnum balticum. Also ridge-hollow complexes, consisting of bog ridges and poor fen hollows are present.