Europe's 40-Year Forest Data Shows How Ecosystems React to Pollution
Scientists have released a vast dataset tracking forest health across 14 European countries since 1977, revealing how air pollution, climate change, and soil chemistry interact over decades. For businesses managing land, water utilities, and policymakers setting environmental targets, this data offers a rare long-term baseline to measure ecosystem recovery and predict future risks.
Originaltitel: A long-term ecosystem monitoring dataset from the ICP Integrated Monitoring network: biogeochemical data from 1977–2020 across 14 European countries
<p>The International Cooperative Programme on Integrated Monitoring of Air Pollution Effects on Ecosystems (ICP IM) presents a comprehensive long-term dataset of ongoing integrated ecosystem monitoring from European forested catchments. The dataset encompasses measurements from 46 monitoring stations across 14 European countries, with temporal coverage mostly extending from the early 1990s to 2020 (48 sites are currently active). The integrated monitoring approach applies over 20 monitoring subprogrammes to simultaneously measure physical, chemical, and biological properties across multiple ecosystem compartments including atmosphere, precipitation, throughfall, soil water, groundwater, runoff water, soil, vegetation, and biota. All measurements follow standardised protocols detailed in the ICP IM Manual, ensuring data quality and comparability across sites and time periods. The dataset supports research on ecosystem responses to air pollution, climate change impacts, and biogeochemical cycling. Data are available under a Creative Commons By Attribution (CC BY) licence, providing valuable long-term environmental monitoring data for the scientific community.<br></p>