The Durme debouchment is a subsite (12 ha) of the Scheldt Estuary and its alluvial plains. The setup for deployed in the context of eLTER_RI is a cross-shore open-air laboratory open for other researchers and students to experiment in a long-term in-situ setup. The responses studied are on the level of sediment, infauna of tidal flats, (ground)water levels, carbon (including microphytobenthos and green-house gases), (ground)water quality and marsh vegetation (plant biodiversity, biomass). An end-goal is to provide long term field data to develop numerical eco-morphodynamic model(s) that is/are able to predict the effect of changed water budgets on carbon sequestration or greenhouse gas emissions, biodiversity (by eDNA), macro-invertebrate production and changes in tidal wetland plant species distribution and production in a cross-shore approach.

The Bessanese high-elevation experimental site is located in the Western European Alps (Graian Alps, municipality of Balme, Italy). This site is representative of the glacial and periglacial environments of the Alps. In this site, glaciers have been the main morphogenetic agent: the head of the basin hosts a well-developed glacial cirque, while the LIA has left an imposing moraine on the left side of the glacier as an indelible mark in the landscape. Additional cryogenic and atmospheric processes, running waters and gravity have contributed to shape the study area. These latter processes are becoming more and more important, compared to glacier shaping, in the present context of climate change, which led to an impressive-areal and volume reduction of the glacier. Most of the area once occupied by the glacier is now covered with debris which, in many cases, is ice-cored, or contains ice lenses. Downstream of the main lake of the basin, located at an elevation of about 2580 m, the debris forms a large and characteristic rock glacier. Among gravitative processes, rockfalls are particularly common and relevant from the hazard point of view in the study area. dataset available on Pangaea repository: 1. Nigrelli, Guido; Chiarle, Marta; Merlone, Andrea; Coppa, Graziano; Musacchio, Chiara (2022) – Rock temperature variability in the alpine cryosphere. Pangaea Data Publisher for Earth & Environmental Science, https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.950246 2. Nigrelli, Guido; Barbero, Secondo; Chiarle, Marta (2021) – Solar radiation at the Bessanese high-elevation experimental site (Italy). Pangaea Data Publisher for Earth & Environmental Science, https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.930679 3. Nigrelli, Guido; Chiarle, Marta; Merlone, Andrea; Coppa, Graziano; Musacchio, Chiara (2018) – Rock and debris temperature in the alpine cryosphere. Pangaea Data Publisher for Earth & Environmental Science, https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.894317

In Britz we study the water consumption (evapotranspiration) of important commercial tree species since 1974. The main feature are the nine large-scale lysimeters, installed at a depth of over 5 m with a surface area of 100 m² (10x10 m) each. They are planted with 0.3 ha experimental stands of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) (3 lysimeters), European beech (Fagus sylvatica) (2), European larch (Larix decidua) (2), and Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) (2) spaced corresponding to the forestry practice at that time. About 15 years ago one Larch lysimeter was clear-cut and replanted with sessile oak (Quercus petraea). On two Scots Pine lysimeters, European beech was planted building now the understory. The areas surrounding the lysimeters were planted in a similar fashion. Seepage water collecting at the bottom of the lysimeter flows down a shaft and is measured mechanically by a tipping counter and registered electronically. Soil moisture is measured with probes to a total depth of 5 m. Precipitation in the open field and the stand is recorded with Hellmann rain gauges. In addition, the station is equipped with devices assessing individual tree water transport and growth (sap-flow sensors, dendrometers), an Eddy-Fluy-Tower and much more. The studies are aimed at revealing the effects of different tree species and mixtures on the ground and landscape water balance. Moreover, the effects of drought on tree performance and tree-internal water budgets are of interest. However, recently we added acoustic monitoring, a pollen collector, regular UAV flights to our assessments and are always open to more co-operations.

Coniferous forests and mire.

The Ploemeur-Guidel observatory (Britanny, France) is focusing on surface-depth relationships in a fractured crystalline geological context and oceanic climate. It is built on 2 sub-sites, one highly anthropized, the other in natural state. In Ploemeur, groundwater has been pumped since 1991, supplying more than 1 million m3 of clean drinking water annual at a sustainable rate. Such high productivity is explained the specific fractured network in granite and micaschists, draining deep geological layers (~400 m). Extracted water quality is very good, with limited nitrate concentration, in a region that has been strongly affected by widespread pollution. Guidel site is in a similar, but natural context. Deep iron-rich groundwater is upflowing, creating surface and deep groundwater-dependent ecosystems, and feeding a classified coastal wetland. Both sites have a very dense equipment to study rapid to long-term surface-depth exchanges: a flux tower, unsaturated zone monitoring, a network of ~50 shallow (<10m) and deep boreholes (>80m), hydrochemical, temperature and deformation. An well-characterized fractured experimental site offers the possibility to conduct experiments to test innovative instruments and develop new methodologies

Mols Bjerge National Park or Nationalpark Mols Bjerge is a Danish national park in the area known as Mols Bjerge (lit.: Mols Hills) in Syddjurs Municipality, Central Jutland, inaugurated on the 29th of August 2009. The protected area, measures 180 square kilometres (69 sq mi) in size. The Mols Hills, reaching a height of 137 metres (449 ft), are centrally located in the park, and take up 2,500 ha. "More than half of all wild Danish plant species" can be found at Mols Bjerge. The park comprise most of the southern parts of the headland of Djursland. It is bounded on the east by the sea of Kattegat, the forests of Kaløskovene in the west and to the south by multiple inlets, coves and plains of glacially generated moraine. The town of Ebeltoft, along with villages and summer house residence areas, are considered part of the park. Land in the national park is held under both private and state ownership. Nearly 33% of the park is cultivated and 80% of the hill area is under private ownership. Mols Bjerge National Park has a rolling and widely varying topography of woodlands and open countryside, created with the end of the last ice age. Elevation in the park area varies in height rising to a maximum of 137 metres (449 ft) in Mols Hills, with many types of habitats such as heath, forests, pastures, bogs, meadows, a variety of coastal habitats and sea

Suserup Skov (19.2 ha) is an old growth temperate forest dominated by beech Fagus sylvatica, pedunculate oak Quercus robur, ash Fraxinus excelsior, wych elm Ulmus glabra, and black alder Alnus glutinosa, admixed with lime Tilia platyphyllos and sycamore maple Acer pseudoplatanus. KU/IGN-SNB, is a 19,2 ha old-growth beech-dominated mixed deciduous forests on western Zealand owned by Sorø Academy. The forest use dates back to 4200 BC. A conservation act was placed on the forest in 1925 for biological and recreational purposes but allowing a minimum odd felling until the act was updated in 1961 to a non-intervention forest. The forest is unique at European level in terms of nonintervention, and the long-term status as non-intervention forest has led to a unique steady state in biomass and accumulation of dead wood, thus serving as an important reference site for unmanaged temperate deciduous forest development. There are long-term data records of e.g. biomass, dead organic matter, soil, forest structure, flora and fungi starting from 1992. The platform is included in a series of paired managed and non-intervention forests for studies of forest structure, biodiversity and biogeochemistry in mature and old beech-dominated forests. Suserup Forest includes an ICP Forests level II plot (2001-). Upgrades: eLTER master sites: soil moisture content (TDR), remote sensing of growth and forest structure, LAI, NDVI (Lidar, camera), continuous plant phenology (web cam),and insect monitoring (optical sensors) as biodiversity measures, ambient air quality and air pollution.

Vestskoven is a 15 km2 ongoing afforestation area located 15 km west of central Copenhagen. Since 1967 arable land has successively been bought up for afforestation in order to establish a large forest area for outdoor activities and wood production. In 1998, afforestation chronosequences in oak (Quercus robur) and Norway spruce (Picea abies) were established as a research platform to quantify soil carbon dynamics, water recharge, nitrogen budgets and ground vegetation species diversity. The soil and grund vegetation species composition were resampled in the chronosequences after 13 years in 2011. Since 2003, an ICP-Forests Level II/Core plot with integrated monitoring under the UN Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution (CLRTAP) is placed in an oak stand. Monitoring has developed over time. There is no time limit on the monitoring financed by the Ministry of Environment and Food in Denmark.

The Cairngorms National Park is one of 15 National Parks in the UK (one of two in Scotland) and is Britain's largest National Park (4,528 km2). It is the location for some of the most spectacular landscapes in Britain and is home to an incredible diversity of wildlife and plants. http://cairngorms.co.uk/the-park/facts-figures/ The aims of the National Park are: • To conserve and enhance the natural and cultural heritage of the area; • To promote sustainable use of the natural resources of the area; • To promote understanding and enjoyment (including enjoyment in the form of recreation) of the special qualities of the area by the public; • To promote sustainable economic and social development of the area’s communities. Cairngorms National Park, seven broad habitats can be identified: • Enclosed farmlands • Woodlands • Open waters (rivers, lochs, wetlands and floodplains) • Mountains • Moorland • Semi-natural grasslands • Urban • Population of c17,500 • 25.8% of population over 60 (higher than Scottish average) • Average health index in top 25% of Scotland (based on deprivation indices) • Extensive core paths network • 55 Munros including 5 summits over 4000 feet • 3 ski centres • National Cycle Network Route 7 • 1 Long Distance Route (Speyside Way) • Relatively low atmospheric pollution • Annual precipitation over 2250mm on summits and under 900mm in straths • Average annual snow cover 200 days on summits and 50 days on low-ground • Prevailing winds from south-west

Beech forest in the Central italian Apennines