The ECOSENSE forest: a distributed sensor and data management system for real-time monitoring of ecosystem processes and stresses
15 affiliations
- 1University of Freiburg (Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany)
- 2Chair of Ecosystem Physiology, Institute of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, 79104, Germany
- 3Chair of Environmental Meteorology, Institute of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, 79104, Germany
- 4Chair of Biometry and Environmental System Analysis, Institute of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, 79104, Germany
- 5Chair of Forest Growth and Dendroecology, Institute of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, 79104, Germany
- 6Institute of Meteorology and Climate Research, Atmospheric Environmental Research (IMK-IFU), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Garmisch-Partenkirchen, 82467, Germany
- 7Chair of Sensor-based Geoinformatics (geosense), Institute of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Freiburg, Germany
- 8Laboratory for Microactuators, Department of Microsystems Engineering - IMTEK, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, 79104, Germany
- 9Chair of Hydrology, Institute of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, 79104, Germany
- 10Laboratory for Electrical Instrumentation and Embedded Systems - IMTEK, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, 79104, Germany
- 11Chair of Soil Ecology, Institute of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, 79104, Germany
- 12Institute of Energy Efficient Mobility, Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences, Karlsruhe, 76133, Germany
- 13Laboratory for the Design of Microsystems - IMTEK, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, 79104, Germany
- 14Laboratory for Chemistry & Physics of Interfaces, Department of Microsystems Engineering - IMTEK, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, 79104, Germany
- 15XR Future Forests Lab, Institute of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, 79104, Germany
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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BibTeX
@article{tesch2026ecosense,
title = {{The ECOSENSE forest: a distributed sensor and data management system for real-time monitoring of ecosystem processes and stresses}},
author = {Jasmin Tesch and Kathrin Kühnhammer and Delon Wagner and Andreas Christen and Carsten F. Dormann and Julian Frey and Rüdiger Grote and Teja Kattenborn and Markus Sulzer and Ulrike Wallrabe and Markus Weiler and Christiane Werner and Samaneh Baghbani and Julian Brzozon and Laura Maria Comella and Lea Dedden and Stefanie Dumberger and Yasmina Frey and Matthias Gassilloud and Timo Gerach and Anna Göritz and Simon Haberstroh and Johannes Klüppel and Luis Kremer and Jürgen Kreuzwieser and Hojin Lee and Joachim Maack and Julian Müller and Oswald Prucker and Sanam Kumari Rajak and Jürgen Rühe and Stefan J. Rupitsch and Helmer Schack‐Kirchner and Christian Scharinger and Uttunga G. Shinde and Till Steinmann and Clara Stock and Josef Strack},
journal = {Geoscientific instrumentation, methods and data systems},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.5194/gi-15-253-2026},
url = {https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-15-253-2026},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - The ECOSENSE forest: a distributed sensor and data management system for real-time monitoring of ecosystem processes and stresses
AU - Jasmin Tesch
AU - Kathrin Kühnhammer
AU - Delon Wagner
AU - Andreas Christen
AU - Carsten F. Dormann
AU - Julian Frey
AU - Rüdiger Grote
AU - Teja Kattenborn
AU - Markus Sulzer
AU - Ulrike Wallrabe
AU - Markus Weiler
AU - Christiane Werner
AU - Samaneh Baghbani
AU - Julian Brzozon
AU - Laura Maria Comella
AU - Lea Dedden
AU - Stefanie Dumberger
AU - Yasmina Frey
AU - Matthias Gassilloud
AU - Timo Gerach
AU - Anna Göritz
AU - Simon Haberstroh
AU - Johannes Klüppel
AU - Luis Kremer
AU - Jürgen Kreuzwieser
AU - Hojin Lee
AU - Joachim Maack
AU - Julian Müller
AU - Oswald Prucker
AU - Sanam Kumari Rajak
AU - Jürgen Rühe
AU - Stefan J. Rupitsch
AU - Helmer Schack‐Kirchner
AU - Christian Scharinger
AU - Uttunga G. Shinde
AU - Till Steinmann
AU - Clara Stock
AU - Josef Strack
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/08
JO - Geoscientific instrumentation, methods and data systems
DO - 10.5194/gi-15-253-2026
UR - https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-15-253-2026
AB - 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.
SN - 2193-0856
SN - 2193-0864
ER -