How TERN fits together

TERN is a ‘network of networks'. Each TERN Facility works in one or more ecosystem science domains to build a network of scientists and data collection, storage and sharing infrastructure.

On the ground there are sites fitted with towers monitoring exchanges of carbon dioxide, water vapour and energy between the terrestrial ecosystem and atmosphere, and trained field crews observing and sampling vegetation and fauna, and collecting soil and water data.

Nationally consistent maps of vegetation, soil and atmospheric properties are derived, along with field validation data sets, at regular time intervals using satellite imaging systems.

Existing major ecological datasets are being identified and brought together online. The science generated by the Facilities and their associated personnel and communities is being analysed and synthesised across disciplines and organisations. This network of image data sets, towers, field sites, software, web portals and researchers is designed to deliver a system that will improve our understanding of ecosystems for science, policy and management decision making at the national scale over multiple decades.

The Australian Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network Data Discovery Portal will be the  gateway for location, time and ecosystem variable specific searches to locate and access data from the Facility portals. The intent of TERN is that data and products will be made available unencumbered, although access to specific data may have particular terms of use.

TERN Facilities are coordinated by the TERN Office located at The University of Queensland. The Facilities and TERN Office represent the scientific infrastructure, personnel and network of intellectual capital through which TERN delivers on its strategic objectives to the Commonwealth Government's Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, and the Australian and international ecosystem science communities.

The research and data collection activities of each of the Facilities seek answers to some fundamental questions concerning Australian ecosystems:

• What are the key gaps in our understanding of Australian ecosystems and the best management processes for these environments?
• How, in space and time, have key environmental variables changed over the period of satellite image recording in Australia?
• Who is working in the various areas of ecosystem science research? What are they working on?
• What are the environmental changes linked to the distribution and phenology of key Australian vegetation types?
• What impact does extensive land use change in peri-urban environments have on terrestrial nutrient cycles and the maintenance of biodiversity, water quality and mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions?

From above

Remote sensing technologies capture images from local to continental scales on a regular basis. These are processed into maps measuring biophysical properties of the atmosphere, vegetation, soils and water bodies. To provide national coordination and improve cooperation between local, regional, state and national remote sensing facilities, the AusCover Facility was established.

On the ground

Systematic measurement of variables for flora, fauna and biophysical processes at specific plots, sites and transects, across all Australian ecosystems, forms the cornerstone of a continent-wide, long-term ecosystem research network.

Interchange - CO₂, energy and water fluxes in Australian ecosystems

A network of towers around Australia continuously measures the exchanges (fluxes) of carbon dioxide, water vapour and energy between the terrestrial ecosystem and atmosphere. This network of towers is the OzFlux Facility of TERN and is in turn part of a global network of over 400 flux towers.

Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functions

Through integration of a network of plots across Australia’s ecosystems, sampled at a broad range of spatial and temporal scales, TERN is providing a framework for collecting and storing long-term flora and fauna survey data for answering key questions on the ecology of Australian plants and animals. This activity is run through the Multi-Scale Plot Network Facility and its sub-facilities, the Long-term Australian Multi-scale Plot System, AusPlots, Long-Term Ecological Research Network and the Australian Supersite Network.

Soils

Ecosystem studies in Australia are hindered by the lack of comprehensive and consistent soil information – spatial soil mapping at appropriate scale, with accompanying data for those soil attributes that drive ecosystem function. This is essential information for ecosystem and climate modelling, and managing Australian landscapes and ecosystems. The Soil and Landscape Grid of Australia Facility will enable production of, and access to, a high-spatial resolution soils grid for Australia, and a network for collaboration and sharing of field and spatial data sets, models and analytic approaches on soil landscapes and dynamics.

Coasts

The Australian Coastal Ecosystems Facility will begin to address the national challenge of providing enduring access to the many existing disparate coastal datasets in Australia. It will do this by establishing a ‘coastal community of practice’ to bring together researchers, managers, industry and the community; identifying key national datasets that need to be collected, and fund strategic research that address key gaps in these datasets; and improving digital access to quality-assured coastal observational data and methods for analysis and visualisation.

Integration of ecosystem information and data

Eco-informatics is the TERN Facility contributing to ecological research and management by developing ways to access and integrate important national databases of environmental information, and developing algorithms so that different datasets can be combined and used to answer research questions. The focus is on developing a system called ÆKOS to manipulate, store, distribute and display ecological information, thereby improving communication, understanding and management of the information to support scientific or policy-making processes.

One of the most critical needs for ecosystem science and management in Australia is the development and application of multi-purpose, process-based, dynamic ecosystem models appropriate for and comprehensively tested in Australian environments. Such models are essential for understanding and predicting local-to-continental scale changes to our flora, fauna, and associated biophysical and biogeochemical processes that influence vegetation productivity, hydrology and climate. The Ecosystem Modelling and Scaling Infrastructure (e-MAST) Facility will deliver an operational set of tools enabling the collection, integration and scaling of site/plot, flux tower, remote sensing and Eco-informatics data for use in developing, benchmarking and applying ecosystem models.

Integrating and synthesising ecosystem data and information across the many disciplines and institutions enhances and accelerates our knowledge and understanding of science, subsequently improving policy and management decision-making. The Australian Centre for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (ACEAS) actively facilitates the networking of scientists, community groups, non-government organisations, and people with responsibility for land management and policy across all levels of Australian government, so that people can share data, knowledge and ideas. Synthesising information in this way is essential for improving our understanding of Australia’s ecosystems, identifying gaps in our knowledge and capability, and exploring solutions for working out how to address these gaps, both within TERN and the Australian ecosystem science and management communities.

If you are in Adelaide on Tuesday 27 March, you might be interested in attending The ACEAS Great Debate as a prelude to the TERN Symposium.

Registration to the 3rd TERN Annual National Symposium is now open. Program and registration information are on the symposium webpage.

TERN's AusCover Facility is holding a Data Users Workshop in Brisbane on 8 March. Visit the web page for links to the program and information on how to register.

TERN's AusPlots Sub-Facility is holding a Field Method Training workshop at the Renmark and Calperum Station Supersite in South Australia, 4-9 March. Limited places available, so get in quick!

In our December newsletter the TERN Director summarises — and celebrates — the huge effort that has gone into creating the TERN network so far. We introduce you to the complex world of the Australian Supersite Network. At workshops in Adelaide and Perth, TERN facilities work with various collaborators; we invite you to get involved in TERN; and there's some wild talk. You'll have to read the newsletter to find out more.

New research supersite will tell woodlands climate story (media release)

What would it take to get you to share (both deposit and use) data in TERN facility portals? If this question interests you join our discussion on LinkedIn.