DK-Sor (Ll. Bøgeskov)

Early spring aspect of the site with an impression of the intensive scientific instrumentation.

The new LTER platform DK-Sor provides access to a unique international research infrastructure in a mature beech forest owned and managed by the Sorø Akademi foundation (Sorø, Denmark). The part of the forest that is under investigation was planted in 1921 and the forest stand consists mainly of European Beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) with interspersed patches of conifers.  The site is close to the Danish City of Sorø, 55 °29’13” N, 11 °38’45” E, 40m above mean sea level. The soil is drained and has formed formed Alfisols or in lower and wetter parts carbon rich Mollisols. The ground vegetation consists of spring geophytes (Anemone nemorosa L., Melica uniflora Retz.) and tree saplings in areas where the canopy is opened for natural regeneration.

While the beech forest represents the managed form of the potential natural vegetation at the northern margin of this important European tree species, it is unique for the long time series of continuous CO2 and H2O fluxes and local meteorological variables starting in 1996 (Pilegaard and Ibrom, 2020, Fig. 1).

Since 2015, the site is part of the European Integrated Carbon Observation System (ICOS; ICOS Denmark), where a large number of carbon cycle parameters and variables are being observed. The co-location between LTER and ICOS opens a large number of synergies for research at this station. The LTER platform enhances the ongoing carbon focused observations in ICOS to biogeochemical cycling of nitrogen and phosphorous and to biodiversity observations (Fig. 2). The data of the site are freely available for research and the newer ICOS data and legacy data from 1996 can be downloaded from the internet (ICOS, FLUXNET). Researchers are welcome to perform their field research at this site under within the limits given by the Sorø Akademi and open access data sharing.

Spring aspect of ground vegetation and field equipment of the continuous monitoring plots.

References

Pilegaard, K. and Ibrom, A., 2020. Net carbon ecosystem exchange during 24 years in the Sorø Beech Forest – relations to phenology and climate. Tellus B: Chemical and Physical Meteorology, 72(1): 1-17.