LTER Zöbelboden - Austria

The Zöbelboden covers a small forested catchment (90 ha) of a karstic mountain range in the Kalkalpen national park. Meteorological and air pollution monitoring is carried out at a clearing area (EMEP station) and on a tower (45 m height). The tower is additionally equipped with an eddy corariance system for carbon dioxid and water vapor. One old and two new intensive plots exist for the detailed measurement of element fluxes through the main forest types (bi-weekly to monthly analyses of deposition and soil water). One plot is equipped with a sapflow system, automated dendrometers, and soil respiration chambers. Catchment runoff chemistry is measured at the main spring with an optical probe for high resolution data and through weekly sampling and analyses. On 64 permanent plots (regular 100 m grid) forest tree monitoring, ground vegetation and soil sampling is carried out (5 to 10 year interval). Additional permanent plots exist for forest floor vegetation, lichens, bryophytes and birds (3 to 10 year interval). The main stations (EMEP station, intensive plots, the hut) can be reached via a forest road with all year access (once a week in winter).The station has full power supply, a radio transfer of the data within the site and remote online access to the major devices.