Long-term observation (LTO)

Ecological, physical and chemical time series are an essential tool for the study of climate-related topics. They can document long-term changes in the environment and also serve as background data for experimental studies. The main goals are the quality-controlled collection, archival and analysis of thedifferent parameters.

Helgoland has a long tradition in ecological time series research and the scientists of the Biological Station Helgoland produce a number of extremely valuable time series that have been used for scientific research by scientists around the world. The core time series are known as Helgoland Roads and comprise phytoplankton and zooplankton as well as physico-chemical parameters. But several shorter time series and spatio-temporal datasets also exist and Helgoland scientists are jointly setting standards by linking these data through detailed documentation , quality control and data management to facilitate detailed analyses long-term ecological change and their societal consequences.

The most important Helgoland Roads time series are described below.

Helgoland Roads forms an important component of the overall pool of the AWIs time series which comprises 30 individual time series resourcees ranging from physical and chemical time series via periglacial to a range of biodiversity data sets (see LTO@AWI)