Experimental sites

New researchers are welcome to join the on-going research and already available data or develop their own research topics. The infrastructures are open to any kind of study that fit into the framework of the infrastructure. Published data and necessary background information for the sites will be available for external users.

 

The infrastructures consist of field-scale climate manipulation facilities for research of climate change effects on terrestrial ecosystems. The experimental manipulation employs non intrusive techniques for climate change. The infrastructures are part of a network of similar research facilities applied to shrublands in 6 European countries. The common approach used on all experimental sites ensures comparison of treatment effects across sites under different climatic conditions without additional sources of variability related to the treatment approaches. Transnational access is also offered to a phytotron facility in Denmark, called RERAF.

 

You may read more about the experimental sites and the phytotron here:

• Brandbjerg in Denmark
• Clocaenog in Wales, United Kingdom
• Peaknaze in United Kingdom
• Kiskunság in Hungary
• Mols in Denmark
• Oldebroek in The Netherlands
• Porto Conte in Italy
• The phytotron RERAF in Denmark

Further, the site Garraf in Spain has similar climate manipulation and is associated to the network.

The experimental sites support broad research on effects of climate change on ecosystem functioning, e.g. effect studies on soils, plants, fauna, hydrology and ground water contamination. There is increasing interest within the EU for experimental data to test and develop models and to help stakeholders and the general public to visualise some of the possible impacts of climate change. These infrastructures provide a focus point for this type pf climate change work in Europe and will deliver the synergistic effects of well coordinated research tightly focussed on specific habitats. The experimental approach enables the bringing together of scientists who together can provide the integrated datasets at the ecosystem scale which is needed to fully evaluate the sensitivity of shrublands to climate change.

 

At the sites in Clocaenog (UK), Mols (DK) and Oldebroek (NL), we have carried out climate change manipulations for 11 years (start 1998) and have long-term continuous datasets for many measurements ranging from meteorological to plant diversity. Porto Conte(IT) and Kiskunság (HU) joined the group 8 years ago (start 2001), and also have extensive data sets. The Brandbjerg project only started some years ago (2004).

 

Through the years, many data have been gathered and publications have been published. You can find information on previous research and data gathered at the 6 sites by

downloading a metadatabase. A complete publication list from all sites can be found under Publications.

 

We warmly welcome external researchers to apply for transnational access and have set up a list of research ideas, a “Reseach wanted list” for each of the infrastructures.

 

Research needed on:	Brandbjerg	Clocaenag	Kiskunság	Mols	Oldebroek	Porto Conte
Soil C dynamics		X	X	X	X
Soil C chemistry				X		X
Microbial composition		X		X	X	X
Root turnover		X			X	X
Soil water holding capacity				X		X
Mycorrhizal fungi				X		X
Lignin degradation and turnover					X	X
Plant tissue chemistry
Plant phenology			X		X
NEE - Primary productivity			X		X
Plant ecophysiology - Photosynthesis			X		X
Carbon and nitrogen cycling						X
Biodiversity of animal groups			X		X	X
Role of functional groups			X		X	X