WG1. Availability and evaluation of monitoring data Action FP0903

Questionnaire Sent out in July replies received by beginning of October Replies used as input to Rome conference It’s possible to make further use of the replies Action FP0903

Availability, accessibility, quality and comparability of monitoring data for European forests for use in air pollution and climate change science A lot of data exist, but it is hard to get a good overview of what is available and where Much is accessible, but there is room for improvement. Internet-based solutions should be the standard A major challenge is how to improve access while safeguarding both IPR and also publicly-funded data collection Networks set up for one purpose often provide data which are valuable for other research communities Understanding of QA/QC and assessing the uncertainty is crucial. This has improved in recent years Comparability of data from different sources, often obtained by different field and laboratory methods, is a serious challenge and needs to be frequently tested Cross-comparison of data from different databases offers valuable opportunities for a better exploitation of present data including validation of models and understanding of real-world forest responses to air pollution and climate change Clarke et al. 2011, iForest Action FP0903

Activities for the next year: More detailed information on what data is available where, file accessible from WG web page. Action FP0903

Harmonisation: What possibilities exist for harmonisation between networks? Can we harmonise sampling protocols between networks? Is it enough to test for comparability without using the same methodology? Journal paper.