OZCAR-RI ORACLE/BVRE Orgeval - France

The ORACLE observatory is located 70 km East of Paris, France. Most of the area, in a sedimentary basin, is made of a relatively flat plateau (Alt. 140 m a.m.s.l.), which is incised by the Grand Morin and the Petit Morin rivers (Alt 100m). Several aquifers are associated with layered tertiary formations (Eocene and Oligocene). The Morin Rivers are affluents of the Marne River, known to have contributed to large historical floods in Paris in the 20th century. The observatory is mainly rural (76%) with small towns, villages and hamlets, the whole covering 7% of the area. Forests cover up to 20% of the area. The dominance of agricultural activity within the catchments means that diffuse pollution is regarded as the main environmental pressure. Several perennial device of environment observation are installed since 1962. This site is used for multivariable observations (water cycle, water quality, biodiversity, agricultural practices, sociology…) and multiscale observations (from the canopy to the aquifer, from one m² to 1200 km²). Temporary observations also exist, like soil property measurements, remote sensing data, depending on the specific collaborative projects between different research and operational units. These two observation approaches, the perennial and the temporary ones, are a real advantage to investigate environmental issues. The Observatory and its embedded sub-catchments allow to conceptualize the change in scale and to study sub-catchments with different behaviors.