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Abstract:
Global change has triggered a number of environmental changes, such as alterations in climate, geo-resources soil and water, atmospheric chemistry, and land productivity. Many areas of the system Earth-Man are affected, thereby directly impacting the lives
of present and future generations. Like many countries, Germany too is also faced with the threat of increased droughts and heat waves, soil degradation, winter storms, water shortages at one extreme and flood events at the other, as well as a decline in biodiversity.
These changes can range across broad temporal and spatial scales and present strong regional differences.
The TERENO observatory “Northeastern German Lowland” spans an area which is considered as one of the regions in Germany most severely affected by climate change. The impact of increased dry periods is already being felt ,drying out the regions’ numerous lakes and mires. The observatory covers the catchment area of the Uecker river, the Müritz National Park, the biosphere reserve Schorfheide-Chorin and the DEMMIN calibration and validation test site operated by the German Aerospace Center (DLR). The GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences in Potsdam is coordinating work at the observatory and is cooperating closely with universities and other research organisations. Of particular significance is the emphasis being placed on geoarchives and landscape development. The aim is to acquire and combine high quality data on climate and landscape developments in the past and present to develop forecasts for the future.
