The Bode hydrological observatory: a platform for integrated, interdisciplinary hydro-ecological research within the TERENO Harz/Central German Lowland Observatory

• DOI: 10.1007/s12665-016-6327-5
• Publication Date: 2016-12-26T02:35:33Z
• Authors: Ute Wollschläger; Sabine Attinger; Dietrich Borchardt; Mario Brauns; Matthias Cuntz; Peter Dietrich; Jan H. Fleckenstein; Kurt Friese; Jan Friesen; Alexander Harpke; Anke Hildebrandt; Greta Jäckel; Norbert Kamjunke; Kay Knöller; Simon Kögler; Olaf Kolditz; Ronald Krieg; Rohini Kumar; Angela Lausch; Matthias Liess; Andreas Marx; Ralf Merz; Christin Mueller; Andreas Musolff; Helge Norf; Sascha E. Oswald; Corinna Rebmann; Frido Reinstorf; Michael Rode; Karsten Rink; Karsten Rinke; Luis Samaniego; Michael Vieweg; Hans-Jörg Vogel; Markus Weitere; Ulrike Werban; Matthias Zink; Steffen Zacharias
• Keywords: 13. Climate action; 0208 environmental biotechnology; 02 engineering and technology; 14. Life underwater; 15. Life on land

This article provides an overview about the Bode River catchment that was selected as the hydrological observatory and main region for hydro-ecological research within the TERrestrial ENvironmental Observatories Harz/Central German Lowland Observatory. It first provides information about the general characteristics of the catchment including climate, geology, soils, land use, water quality and aquatic ecology, followed by the description of the interdisciplinary research framework and the monitoring concept with the main components of the multi-scale and multi-temporal monitoring infrastructure. It also shows examples of interdisciplinary research projects aiming to advance the understanding of complex hydrological processes under natural and anthropogenic forcings and their interactions in a catchment context. The overview is complemented with research work conducted at a number of intensive research sites, each focusing on a particular functional zone or specific components and processes of the hydro-ecological system.