Long-term, coordinated monitoring networks are an extremely useful tool contributing to the better understanding of ecosystems and their response to changes in environmental conditions. Here, we present the LTER-CWN Infrastructure Network which is currently being implemented on sites belonging to the LTER-Austria network, covering major ecosystem types (forests, grasslands and wetlands). One focal point of the network is the investigation of climate extreme events and their impacts on ecosystem processes. Specifically, we aim at 1) monitoring major ecosystem processes across our sites with a top quality, comparable standard; 2) providing a research platform for ecological experiments; 3) obtaining a novel understanding of the mechanisms underlying the
ecosystem responses and 4) integrating the research sites and data in the international research arena. For this purpose, harmonized instrumentation is being installed for measuring fluxes of carbon (net ecosystem exchange, ecosystem primary productivity, soil respiration, soil methane fluxes), water (water vapour, solutes in soil- and streamwater) and nitrogen (soil nitrogen, nitrous oxide emissions). Next to continuous monitoring across the sites, a mobile platform is being established involving novel isotope-laser based analyses to increase our understanding of the in-situ activities of soil microorganisms and their link to greenhouse gas fluxes. Overall, our network comprises outstanding long-term ecosystem research sites with existing long-term data, an extensive record of research studies, and a comprehensive research infrastructure
