Learning from the European Experiences: Representativity on a Global Level

The distributed Integrated European Long-Term Ecosystem, critical zone and socio-ecological Research Infrastructure (eLTER RI) is one of six partners of the Global Ecosystem Research Infrastructure (GERI). eLTER RI comprises ecosystem research sites and socio-ecological research platforms for exemplary research covering major European environmental, social and economic gradients. In a holistic approach, the in-situ facilities are designed for standardized observation of the five ecosystem spheres – socio-econosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, geosphere and biosphere. To identify gaps and to optimize the spatial distribution of in-situ facilities within eLTER RI we conducted analyses of representativity. These analyses reveal under-, well or overrepresented conditions and locations. However, these current conditions shift dramatically due to Global Change. Therefore, we additionally investigated the suitability of eLTER RI to address land use change and climate change features, i.e. the fitness for future.

We identified three distinct geospatial gaps: the Iberian Gap, the Eastern Gap, and the Nordic Gap. These gaps resulted mainly from the underrepresentation of agricultural lands, regions with low economic density, mesic and dry regions as well as the Mediterranean, Continental and Boreal biogeoregions. The patterns of underrepresentation appeared to be driven by access to funding resources and the regional research history. Several sites that responded to the survey but do currently not fulfil the infrastructural requirements of the eLTER RI bear potential to contribute to gap closure. Additionally, incorporating research facilities from other research infrastructures or monitoring networks into the eLTER RI could cost-efficiently counteract gaps. Regarding the fitness for future, eLTER RI covers all facets of emerging research challenges, but is spatially biased. Gaps that were assumed to be consistent for a variety of potential futures manifested in the Southern Iberian Peninsula, Poland, Finland, Sweden and Norway.

This work demonstrated the power of geospatial representativity analyses to investigate spatial biases and to inform strategic network development on the European continental scale. Consequently, we additionally harness this power to investigate the spatial distribution of the GERI initiative, which strives to better understand the function and change of indicator ecosystems across global biomes. To that end, GERI aims to support excellent science that can also inform political and managerial decision-making regarding grand societal challenges. A fully functioning GERI shall deliver harmonized data, foster international partnerships and enable new understandings of global ecological processes—stretching across continents, decades, and ecological disciplines. Therefore, the collective coverage of global ecosystems through the physical networks of SAEON (Z.A.), TERN (AUS), NEON (USA), CERN (China), as well as ICOS and eLTER RI in Europe is of high interest. As first analysis we present a global scale coverage of GERI-associated in-situ facilities regarding climatic zones.