This study site is in the south of the city of Moulins, including the National Nature Reserve of the Val d'Allier which protects 1,450 hectares over approximately 28 km along the lower course of the Allier River. The Allier river is considered as the last wild river of Europe because of its strong fluvial dynamics and remaining free meandering river segments. The studied sector within the nature reserve is still very mobile, with a strong lateral dynamic, where the width of the divagation can be of the order of one kilometer. At this scale, it is unique in Europe.

The Srebarna Lake was designated as a Monument of World Cultural and Natural Heritage (1983), UNESCO biosphere reserve (1977), Ramsar site (1975) and Important Bird Area (1990) because of its extremely rich ornithofauna and mainly because of the breeding of globally threatened species Dalmatian Pelican (Pelecanus crispus), Pygmy Cormorant (Phalacrocorax pygmeus) and Ferruginous Duck (Aythya nyroca). During the last years the lake ecosystem underwent significant changes towards strong eutrophication and anthropogenically speeded-up succession. The main reasons were the interrupted connection with the Danube River (because of a dyke built in 1948) together with the pumping-out of the underground waters, as well as the agricultural changes and activities in the watershed basin. The restoration activities carried out in 1993-1994 and especially the canal which connected the lake with the Danube lead to the beginning of lake recovery. All these events influenced the biodiversity of the reserve. The dominant plant association is that of the Reed (Phragmites australis), which occupies about two-thirds (400 ha) of the Reserve's total surface area. Gray Willow (Salix cinerea) and Purple Willow (Salix purpurea) bushes grow in some places. The second widest spread plant species after the Reed is the Lesser Reedmace (Typha angustifolia), and it is more abundant than the Great Reedmace (Typha latifolia). Of all 139 vascular plant species hosted by the Reserve, 11 are rare or endangered. Some 19 fish species occurred in the lake until 1948. There are 21 reptile and amphibian species, and 41 mammal species. The avifauna numbered a total of 230 bird species. The nesting colony of Dalmatian Pelican (Pelecanus crispus) is the pearl of the Reserve.

The Hallstätter Glacier is the largest glacier in the northern Limestone Alps. The Hallstätter Glacier is oriented to the northeast and is bordered by Rock walls. The Large plateau above 2550 m.a.s.l. is connected by three short tongues. The largest altitude zone in terms of area is between 2550 m and 2600m. The highest point of the glacier is at 2905 m, the lowest point is on 2240 m. With an area of 2.623 km² (glacier boundary 2020), the glacier lost half of its extent compared to the glacier peak in 1856. In the past 10years, the area has increased by around 13 %.

Tarfala Research Station is located at 1130 m a.s.l. in the high alpine Kebnekaise mountains, northern Sweden. The Tarfala valley catchment reaches from 2100 to 500 m a.s.l. Vegetation spans high alpine flora, mountain heath and meadows and the upper mountain birch forest zone. The lake, rivers and glacier meltwater streams is part of the headwaters for the unregulated Kalix River. The station was established in 1946 with the main aim to study glacier massbalance. The best known glacier is Storglaciären which is one of the most well studied glaciers in the world. The glaciers and terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems formed by the harsch climate in this area is now changing rapidly. Over the years the environmental monitoring program has expanded and includes today mountain meteorology, water discharge and chemistry, permafrost and vegetation. The station belongs to Stockholm University and is part of the Swedish Infrastructure for Ecosystem Science (SITES).

Aquitain's karsts observatory (Aquitaine, France) regroups different karst sites located on the edge of the Aquitain sedimentary basin. These karst watersheds range from 0.01 km² (Lascaux cave) and 1 km² (Cussac cave) up to 100 km² (Toulon springs) and the land use consists of forests and agriculture under modified oceanic climate. This observatory consists of various observation and experimentation sites like patrimonial caves and large karstic hydrosystem outlets.

Mt Halla San is in Jeju Island, the only volcanic subtropical island, in South Korea. Every year the island is hit by several typhoons. It has shaped unique environmental characteristics and biodiversity. In addition the mountain is one of the most popular vacation sites with growing ecological concern.

The Venedigerkees in the Hohe Tauern National Park is the easternmost tributary glacier to the former tongue of Obersulzbachkees. As a result of the strong retreat of Obersulzbachkees, the glacier disintegrated into several tributary glaciers, with a large lake remaining at the location of a famous serac zone, the 'Türkische Zeltstadt'. Mass balance of the Venedigerkees is measured since 2011/12 with the direct or glaciological method. Furthermore, an automatic weather station was built between Venedigerkees and Keeskogel in 2018.

The National Institute of Oceanography (IOLR) is located in Haifa (Tel Shikmona) on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. The institute engages in research and development in marine sciences and provides information and professional advice to the government and the public sector in the context of the sustainable utilization and conservation of Israel’s marine and coastal resources. The oceanographic studies at the institute are engaged in research, monitoring, and collecting environmental data in the Mediterranean Sea, and in studying natural and unnatural processes. The research topics at the institute include subjects such as; flow and mixing processes; oceanographic models; material cycles; sediment transportation and geological processes; the structure of the seabed; physiology, immunology, and ecology of marine organisms and the populations’ dynamics; the biological diversity in offshore waters and deep seas; effects of human activity on the open sea and coastal environment. IOLR operates advanced instruments and national infrastructures for marine research and monitoring, such as; the national research vessel “Bat Galim”, small ships, and autonomous underwater gliders. A variety of mapping, sampling, data collection, and independent systems are placed at sea for continuous monitoring of environmental variables. In addition, ecological monitoring (community structure, biological diversity, etc.) is carried out in several habitats at a monthly to yearly frequency as follows: • Seasonal ecological monitoring of the Benthos community of the vegetation tables in four sites from north to south since 2009 (also includes a monthly sampling of the water - chlorophyll, nutrients, alkalinity, DIC, temp., pH). • Seasonal ecological monitoring of the benthos community (fish, and biotic cover) of the shallow reefs in the Shekmona/Rash Carmel area. • Annual ecological monitoring of the mesophotic reefs (90-100 meters) at the top of Carmel and the shallow reef. • Monthly zooplankton monitoring at the Hadera station • Monitoring the fish society and the invertebrate community in sandy bottoms • Deep sea monitoring IOLR operates the National Marine Information Center - ISRAMAR, which collects, records, and distributes data and information regarding Israel’s marine environment.

The Mullwitzkees is located in the Venediger Group in the core zone of the National Park Hohe Tauern. The upper part of the glacier (outer Mullwitzkees) is oriented to the south.The lower part of the glacier, especially the tongue, is oriented to West-South-West.

The Třeboň Wet Meadows is an LTER site of a 1 hectare area. It is a part of a wetland with the total area of 450 hectares situated in the inundation area of a large human-made reservoir (Rožmberk fishpond, 5 km2). The Wet Meadows are a predominantly herbaceous wetland with an up to several meters thick layer of organic sediment, which is superimposed on quaternary alluvial sands and clays. The vegetation cover is formed mainly by tall sedges (Carex acuta, C. vesicaria) and reed Canarygrass (Phalaris arundinacea). During the last 50 years, after cessation of mowing, a distinct stand structure of hummocks and hollows has developed. The hummocks are formed by tussocks of Carex acuta. On the site, wide water level fluctuations are recorded in some years. The relatively regular spring floods and irregular summer floods occur as a consequence of snow melting and summer rains in the catchment area, respectively. Extreme floods occurred in the summer of 2002 and both spring and summer of 2006, when the water level culminated at 2 m above the soil surface. The most frequently recorded position of the water level is at about −0.1 m. From 1977 to 2006, meteorological measurements were executed in a meteorological screen. Starting from 2006, the measurements have been executed with electronic sensors connected to data-loggers. Since that time, the site has been equipped for measuring carbon exchange and fluxes of CO2 and H2O (eddy covariance system, Licor). Since the spring of 2011, the site has been equipped for measuring methane and CO2 emissions from the sedges (automatic static flow chamber with a laser gas analyzer, LGR).The Wet Meadows are included in the integrated carbon observation system (ICOS) as a wetland ecosystem station.