Bayerische Alpen / Voralpenland
The Bavarian Alps/pre-Alps Observatory is jointly coordinated by the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and Helmholtz Center Munich (HMGU). This observatory comprises the “River Ammer catchment”, the long term silvicultural research platform ”Höglwald Forest“, and the long term agricultural research farm “Scheyern“.
The “River Ammer catchment” is located in Bavaria, southern Germany, covering an area of 709 km2. The highest point is at 2185 m a.s.l. in the Ammergau Alps and the outflow is at 533 m a.s.l. Due to the complex topography, the catchment is characterised by large north-south differentiations in soils, land-use and climate. Long-term mean annual precipitation in the northern part is around 1100 mm/a while the southern part with the summits of the Ammer Alps receives more than 2000 mm/a. Its area includes the Hohenpeissenberg and thereby benefits from the long-term hydrometeorological observations of the DWD observatory (since 1781). The equipment of the catchment comprises a lysimeter network, isotope laser systems for the determination of water vapour and CO2 fluxes, and a rain radar.
The “Höglwald Forest” observation platform is an approx. 100 years old spruce plantation located 40 km north-west of the city of Munich. The climate is suboceanic, with a mean annual precipitation for the period 1984 to 2001 of 933 mm. The forest is part of a region which is characterized by an intensive mixture of forested and intensively used agricultural areas. It is equipped with automated measuring chambers for continous flux measurements, and an EC tower.
The research farm “Scheyern” is a 150 ha cloister estate located 40 km north of the city of Munich at an altitude of 445-498 above sea level. The farm land is used already since more than 5 centuries and is situated in the tertiary hills, a landscape demonstrating typical problems associated with intensive agricultural use, such as erosion, soil compaction, groundwater contamination, or the impoverishment of flora and fauna. Since 1992 two farming systems, an integrated crop production and an organic farm system, were installed and permanently monitored to analyze the ecological and economical sustainability of the agricultural systems. The farm is equipped since 1992 with several hydrological observation systems including soil hydrological stations, groundwater multi-level wells, groundwater gages, weirs and drains, surface runoff and erosion measurement devices.