The ECOSENSE forest: a distributed sensor and data management system for real-time monitoring of ecosystem processes and stresses

Abstract. Forests provide crucial ecosystem services, but are vulnerable to climate-related physical and biological stresses, such as droughts, pests and pathogens. The rapid climate change currently observed increases the pressure on forest ecosystems, with already drastic consequences, e.g., widespread tree mortality across Central Europe. However, we fall short of understanding underlying process dynamics and their impacts on the Earth system. To better understand and predict forest ecosystem dynamics and the associated energy, carbon and water fluxes, detailed knowledge of ecosystem structure, processes and functioning under constantly varying conditions and across different spatial and temporal scales is needed. The ECOSENSE project brings together engineers, environmental and data scientists to establish novel environmental monitoring approaches and to capture distributed forest carbon and water flux dynamics in space and time with a wide range of established measurement technologies and newly developed sensors. Here, we describe the required infrastructure – called ECOSENSE forest – with regard to physical structures, power supply, communication network and data management, that supports such novel environmental sensor networks. We established a comprehensive monitoring system in this ECOSENSE forest, spanning from below-ground to above-canopy with three large scaffold-towers in different plots. More than 670 commercial and 430 self-built sensors monitor over 90 distinct parameters, fluxes, or processes generating upwards of 4,500 time series that capture soil, tree and atmosphere processes with high spatial and temporal resolution. In particular, our design objective is to provide a stable, flexible and secure forest research infrastructure with power, communication and data management using low-cost and commercially available components that meet the needs of various research disciplines. Our considerations and experiences provide impulses and practical solutions for establishing robust, low-cost distributed field research infrastructures and thus increase data continuity and resilience to disruptions at remote locations. The ECOSENSE forest may thus serve as a blueprint for future projects with similar goals and challenges.

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Publication Details

Journal
Geoscientific instrumentation, methods and data systems
Published
2026-10-08
DOI
https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-15-253-2026
Citations
4
Primary Topic
Environmental Monitoring and Data Management
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
18.94

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article

The ECOSENSE forest: a distributed sensor and data management system for real-time monitoring of ecosystem processes and stresses

Jasmin Tesch, Markus Sulzer, Teja Kattenborn, Hojin Lee et al.
4 citations
Geoscientific instrumentation, methods and data systems
Environmental Monitoring and Data Management
18.94
article

The ECOSENSE forest: a distributed sensor and data management system for real-time monitoring of ecosystem processes and stresses

Jasmin Tesch, Markus Sulzer, Teja Kattenborn, Hojin Lee, Dirk Wagner, Christiane Werner, Andreas Christen, Julian Frey, Johannes Klüppel, Josef Strack, Helmer Schack‐Kirchner, Oswald Prucker, Ulrike Wallrabe, Stefanie Dumberger, Timo Gerach, Simon Haberstroh, Joachim Maack, Yasmina Frey, Anna Göritz, Laura Maria Comella, J. Müller, Jürgen Kreuzwieser, Markus Weiler, Carsten F. Dormann, Rüdiger Grote, Stefan J. Rupitsch, Kathrin Kuehnhammer, Lea Dedden, Till Steinmann, Uttunga G. Shinde, Samaneh Baghbani, Jürgen Rühe, Luis Kremer, Clara Stock, Kathrin Kühnhammer, Matthias Gassilloud, Julian Brzozon, Sanam Kumari Rajak, Christian Scharinger
article en
4 citations

Abstract

Abstract. Forests provide crucial ecosystem services, but are vulnerable to climate-related physical and biological stresses, such as droughts, pests and pathogens. The rapid climate change currently observed increases the pressure on forest ecosystems, with already drastic consequences, e.g., widespread tree mortality across Central Europe. However, we fall short of understanding underlying process dynamics and their impacts on the Earth system. To better understand and predict forest ecosystem dynamics and the associated energy, carbon and water fluxes, detailed knowledge of ecosystem structure, processes and functioning under constantly varying conditions and across different spatial and temporal scales is needed. The ECOSENSE project brings together engineers, environmental and data scientists to establish novel environmental monitoring approaches and to capture distributed forest carbon and water flux dynamics in space and time with a wide range of established measurement technologies and newly developed sensors. Here, we describe the required infrastructure – called ECOSENSE forest – with regard to physical structures, power supply, communication network and data management, that supports such novel environmental sensor networks. We established a comprehensive monitoring system in this ECOSENSE forest, spanning from below-ground to above-canopy with three large scaffold-towers in different plots. More than 670 commercial and 430 self-built sensors monitor over 90 distinct parameters, fluxes, or processes generating upwards of 4,500 time series that capture soil, tree and atmosphere processes with high spatial and temporal resolution. In particular, our design objective is to provide a stable, flexible and secure forest research infrastructure with power, communication and data management using low-cost and commercially available components that meet the needs of various research disciplines. Our considerations and experiences provide impulses and practical solutions for establishing robust, low-cost distributed field research infrastructures and thus increase data continuity and resilience to disruptions at remote locations. The ECOSENSE forest may thus serve as a blueprint for future projects with similar goals and challenges.

Geoscientific instrumentation, methods and data systemsVol. 15(2)
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (DE), University of Freiburg (DE), Oeko Institut (DE), Forest Research Institute (BG), GeoInformation (United Kingdom) (GB), Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences (DE)
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
Life on land, Climate action
Openalex Percentile: Top 1%
Environmental Monitoring and Data Management
18.94
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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