LTER Zöbelboden, Austria, Metadata - Throughfall chemistry

Throughfall was collected at plots with condensed field measurement equipment (so called intensive monitoring plots IP1, IP2 and IP3) at the LTER Zöbelboden site (LTER_EU_AT_003), Austria. IP1 and IP3 are situated on a plateau (850–956 m a.s.l.) and IP2 on a steep north facing slope (30–60°) extending from 850 m down to 550 m a.s.l. The potential natural vegetation of the plateau (beech-fir mixed forest) has largely been replaced by Norway spruce, Picea abies (L.) Karst., after the mixed forest was clear-cut at the beginning of the 20th century. The forest on the slope is a near-natural mixed beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) forest with ash (Fraxinus excelsior L.), maple (Acer pseudoplatanus L.) and spruce as the most frequent additional tree species.

Throughfall (abbreviation in column SUBPROG = TF) was collected at each intensive monitoring plot (abbreviation in column SCODE = 300 = IP1, 700= IP2 and 2900 = IP3) with 15 regularly distributed bulk deposition samplers (∅=20 cm). From 2006 onwards, 17 samplers were used at IP1 (SCODE = 340). Additional five bulk deposition samplers collected TF in a small bark beetle gap at IP1 (SCODE = 260, 281) from 2006-2008. Overall TF measurements at IP1 ceased due to small-scale wind throw events and bark beetle infestations affecting the monitoring plot in September 2009. Therefore, TF measurements started at IP3 in August 2008. Over the whole period, monthly throughfall sums (SUBST = PREC) were determined at each monitoring plot. For chemical analyses, TF samples were pooled for each individual monitoring plot, except for bark beetle gap samples at IP1, which comprised individual samples. From 1993-1998, weekly samples were analysed in the laboratory. Thereafter, TF samples from two consecutive weeks were mixed (volume-weighted) and analysed. From March 2009 onwards, weekly TF samples from four consecutive weeks were pooled and analysed.