Fifteen Years of Integrated Terrestrial Environmental Observatories (TERENO) in 
Germany: Functions, Services, and Lessons Learned

Zacharias, Steffen; Loescher, Henry W.; Bogena, Heye; Kiese, Ralf; Schrön, Martin; Attinger, Sabine; Blume, T.; Borchardt, Dietrich; Borg, Erik; Bumberger, Jan; Chwala, Christian; Dietrich, Peter; Fersch, Benjamin; Frenzel, Mark; Gaillardet, Jérôme; Groh, Jannis; Hajnsek, Irena; Itzerott, S.; Kunkel, Ralf; Kunstmann, Harald; Kunz, Matthias; Liebner, Susanne; Mirtl, Michael; Montzka, Carsten; Musolff, Andreas; Pütz, Thomas; Rebmann, Corinna; Rinke, Karsten; Rode, Michael; Sachs, T.; Samaniego, Luis; Schmid, Hans Peter; Vogel, Hans‐Jörg; Weber, Ute; Wollschläger, Ute; Vereecken, Harry

doi:10.1029/2024EF004510

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Fifteen Years of Integrated Terrestrial Environmental Observatories (TERENO) in Germany: Functions, Services, and Lessons Learned

Authors

Zacharias, Steffen
External Organizations;

Loescher, Henry W.
External Organizations;

Bogena, Heye
External Organizations;

Kiese, Ralf
External Organizations;

Schrön, Martin
External Organizations;

Attinger, Sabine
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/persons/resource/blume

Blume, T.
4.4 Hydrology, 4.0 Geosystems, Departments, GFZ Publication Database, Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum;

Borchardt, Dietrich
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Borg, Erik
External Organizations;

Bumberger, Jan
External Organizations;

Chwala, Christian
External Organizations;

Dietrich, Peter
External Organizations;

Fersch, Benjamin
External Organizations;

Frenzel, Mark
External Organizations;

Gaillardet, Jérôme
External Organizations;

Groh, Jannis
External Organizations;

Hajnsek, Irena
External Organizations;

/persons/resource/itzerott

Itzerott, S.
1.4 Remote Sensing, 1.0 Geodesy, Departments, GFZ Publication Database, Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum;

Kunkel, Ralf
External Organizations;

Kunstmann, Harald
External Organizations;

/persons/resource/mkunz

Kunz, Matthias
1.4 Remote Sensing, 1.0 Geodesy, Departments, GFZ Publication Database, Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum;

/persons/resource/sliebner

Liebner, Susanne
3.7 Geomicrobiology, 3.0 Geochemistry, Departments, GFZ Publication Database, Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum;

Mirtl, Michael
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Montzka, Carsten
External Organizations;

Musolff, Andreas
External Organizations;

Pütz, Thomas
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Rebmann, Corinna
External Organizations;

Rinke, Karsten
External Organizations;

Rode, Michael
External Organizations;

/persons/resource/tsachs

Sachs, T.
1.4 Remote Sensing, 1.0 Geodesy, Departments, GFZ Publication Database, Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum;

Samaniego, Luis
External Organizations;

Schmid, Hans Peter
External Organizations;

Vogel, Hans‐Jörg
External Organizations;

Weber, Ute
External Organizations;

Wollschläger, Ute
External Organizations;

Vereecken, Harry
External Organizations;

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Citation

Zacharias, S., Loescher, H. W., Bogena, H., Kiese, R., Schrön, M., Attinger, S., Blume, T., Borchardt, D., Borg, E., Bumberger, J., Chwala, C., Dietrich, P., Fersch, B., Frenzel, M., Gaillardet, J., Groh, J., Hajnsek, I., Itzerott, S., Kunkel, R., Kunstmann, H., Kunz, M., Liebner, S., Mirtl, M., Montzka, C., Musolff, A., Pütz, T., Rebmann, C., Rinke, K., Rode, M., Sachs, T., Samaniego, L., Schmid, H. P., Vogel, H., Weber, U., Wollschläger, U., Vereecken, H. (2024): Fifteen Years of Integrated Terrestrial Environmental Observatories (TERENO) in Germany: Functions, Services, and Lessons Learned. - Earth's Future, 12, 6, e2024EF004510.
https://doi.org/10.1029/2024EF004510

Cite as: https://gfzpublic.gfz-potsdam.de/pubman/item/item_5026262

Abstract

The need to develop and provide integrated observation systems to better understand and manage global and regional environmental change is one of the major challenges facing Earth system science today. In 2008, the German Helmholtz Association took up this challenge and launched the German research infrastructure TERrestrial ENvironmental Observatories (TERENO). The aim of TERENO is the establishment and maintenance of a network of observatories as a basis for an interdisciplinary and long-term research program to investigate the effects of global environmental change on terrestrial ecosystems and their socio-economic consequences. State-of-the-art methods from the field of environmental monitoring, geophysics, remote sensing, and modeling are used to record and analyze states and fluxes in different environmental disciplines from groundwater through the vadose zone, surface water, and biosphere, up to the lower atmosphere. Over the past 15 years we have collectively gained experience in operating a long-term observing network, thereby overcoming unexpected operational and institutional challenges, exceeding expectations, and facilitating new research. Today, the TERENO network is a key pillar for environmental modeling and forecasting in Germany, an information hub for practitioners and policy stakeholders in agriculture, forestry, and water management at regional to national levels, a nucleus for international collaboration, academic training and scientific outreach, an important anchor for large-scale experiments, and a trigger for methodological innovation and technological progress. This article describes TERENO's key services and functions, presents the main lessons learned from this 15-year effort, and emphasizes the need to continue long-term integrated environmental monitoring programmes in the future.