Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Identifying and closing gaps in environmental monitoring by means of metadata, ecological regionalization and geostatistics using the UNESCO biosphere reserve rhoen (Germany) as an example

  • Published:
Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In Germany, environmental monitoring is intended to provide a holistic view of the environmental condition. To this end the monitoring operated by the federal states must use harmonized, resp., standardized methods. In addition, the monitoring sites should cover the ecoregions without any geographical gaps, the monitoring design should have no gaps in terms of ecologically relevant measurement parameters, and the sample data should be spatially without any gaps. This article outlines the extent to which the Rhoen Biosphere Reserve, occupying a part of the German federal states of Bavaria, Hesse and Thuringia, fulfills the listed requirements. The investigation considered collection, data banking and analysis of monitoring data and metadata, ecological regionalization and geostatistics. Metadata on the monitoring networks were collected by questionnaires and provided a complete inventory and description of the monitoring activities in the reserve and its surroundings. The analysis of these metadata reveals that most of the monitoring methods are harmonized across the boundaries of the three federal states the Rhoen is part of. The monitoring networks that measure precipitation, surface water levels, and groundwater quality are particularly overrepresented in the central ecoregions of the biosphere reserve. Soil monitoring sites are more equally distributed within the ecoregions of the Rhoen. The number of sites for the monitoring of air pollutants is not sufficient to draw spatially valid conclusions. To fill these spatial gaps, additional data on the annual average values of the concentrations of air pollutants from monitoring sites outside of the biosphere reserve had therefore been subject to geostatistical analysis and estimation. This yields valid information on the spatial patterns and temporal trends of air quality. The approach illustrated is applicable to similar cases, as, for example, the harmonization of international monitoring networks.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Adolphs, U.: 1999, ‘Representativity analysis and statistical modeling of snow and ice thickness data sets from the southern polar Pacific Ocean’, J. Geophys. Res. 104(6), 13615.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • AGBR (Ständige Arbeitsgruppe der Biosphärenreservate in Deutschland): 1995, Biosphärenreservate in Deutschland. Leitlinien für Schutz, Pflege und Entwicklung, Springer-Verlag: New York, Berlin, Heidelberg, 377 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bailey, R. G.: 1984, ‘Testing an ecoregionalization’, J. Environ. Manage. 19, 239–248.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bailey, R. G.: 1991, ‘Design of ecological networks for monitoring global change’, Environ. Conserv. 18, 173–175.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bailey, R. G.: 1995, Ecosystem Geography, Springer-Verlag: New York, Berlin, Heidelberg, 204 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • BMU (Bundesministerium für Umwelt, Naturschutz und Reaktorsicherheit): 2000, Umweltbeobachtung. Stand und Entwicklungsmöglichkeiten. N II 2, 25.02.2000, Bonn, 6 pp.

  • BMU and U.S.EPA (Bundesministerium für Umwelt, Naturschutz und Reaktorsicherheit, and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency): 1989, Specimen Banking. A Guide for International Standard. Ottawa.

  • Bohn, U., Neuhäusl, R., Gollub, G., Hettwer, C., Neuhäuslová, Z., Schlüter, H. and Weber, H.: 2003, Map of the Natural Vegetation of Europe. Scale 1:2 500 000. Explanatory Text with CD-ROM. Landwirtschaftlicher Verlag: Münster-Hiltrup, pp. 656.

  • Breiman, L., Friedman, J., Olshen, R. and Stone, C.: 1984, Classification and Regression Trees (CART), Chapman & Hall, Pacific Grove, 358 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Buse, A., Norris, D., Harmens, H., Büker, P., Ashenden, T. and Mills, G.: 2003, Heavy metals in European mosses. 2000/2001 survey. UNECE ICP Vegetation. Available at http://icpvegetation.ceh.ac.uk, ISBN 1 870393 70 8, Bangor, UK, 45 pp.

  • Cao, Y., Williams, D. D. and Larsen, D. P.: 2002, ‘Comparison of ecological communities. The problem of sample representativeness’, Ecol. Monographs 72(1), 41–56.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Calmet, D., Levy, F., Robe, M. C., Gryvaud, L., Diakonoff, P. and Bourlard, P.: 2004, ‘Status report on standard-setting work in the area of environmental radioactivity measurement,’ J. Environ. Radioact. 72(1), 109–120.

  • CEC (Commission of the European Communities): 1993, CORINE Land Cover Technical Guide. EC DG XI, Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, Luxembourg, 136 pp.

  • Crumbling, D. M.: 2002, ‘In search of representativeness. Evolving the environmental data quality model’, Qual. Assurance 9(3/4), 179–190.

    Google Scholar 

  • Danielsson, A., Rahm, L., Conley, D. J. and Carstensen, J.: 2004, ‘Identification of characteristic regions and representative stations. A study of water quality variables in the Kattegat’, Environ. Monit. Assess. 90(1–3): 203–224(22).

    Google Scholar 

  • Desroziers, G., Brachemi, O. and Hamadache, B.: 2001, ‘Estimation of the representativeness error caused by the incremental formulation of variational data assimilation’, Quart. J. – Royal Meteorol. Soc. 127(575), 1775–1794.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ellenberg, H., Fränzle, O. and Müller, P.: 1978, Ökosystemforschung im Hinblick auf Umwelt- und Entwicklungsplanung. Umweltforschungsplan des Bundesministers des Innern, FuE-Vorhaben 78-10104005, im Auftrag des Umweltbundesamtes, Berlin, Bonn 268 pp.

  • Fränzle, O.: 1993, Contaminants in Terrestrial Environments, Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 439 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Germann, U. and Joss, J.: 2000, ‘Spatial continuity of alpine precipitation. Physics and chemistry of the earth, Part B: Hydrology’, Oceans Atmosphere 25(10), 903–908.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goransson, E., Johnson, R. K. and Wilander, A.: 2004, ‘Representativity of a mid-lake surface water chemistry sample,’ Environ. Monit. Assess. 95(1–3), 221–238.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Haber, W., Schönthaler, K., Kerner, H. F., Köppel, J. and Spandau, L.: 1997, Konzeption für eine ökosystemare Umweltbeobachtung. Wissenschaftlich-fachlicher Ansatz. UBA-Texte 32/97, Berlin, 45 pp.

  • Härdtle, W.: 1990, Potentielle natürliche Vegetation. Überlegungen zum theoretischen Konzept und zur Methode der Kartierung, dargestellt am Gebiet der Topographischen Karte 1623 Owschlag. Ph.D. dissertation, University of Kiel, Department of Biology, 86 pp.

  • Handcock, R. N. and Csillag, F.: 2004, ‘Spatio-temporal analysis using a multiscale hierarchical ecoregionalization,’ Photogrammetric Eng. Remote Sensing 70(1), 101–110.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hughes, R. M.: 1997, ‘Use of Ecoregions in Biological Monitoring’, in: S. L. Loeb and A. Spacie (eds.), Biological Monitoring of Aquatic Systems, Lewis Publishers, Boca Raton, FL, pp. 125–151.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hughes, R. M., Paulsen, S. G. and Stoddard, J. L.: 2000, ‘EMAP-Surface Waters. A multiassemblage, probability survey of ecological integrity in the U.S.A.’, Hydrobiologia 422/423(1), 429–443.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Innes, J. L.: 1992, ‘Forest decline’, Progr. Phys. Geography 16(1), 1–64.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Isachenko, A. G.: 1973, Principles of Landscape Science and Physical-Geographical Regionalization, Melbourne University Press, Carlton, Victoria, Australia, 311 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jepson, P. and Whittaker, R. J.: 2002, ‘Ecoregions in context. A critique with special reference to Indonesia’, Conserv. Biology 16(1), 42–57.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jouan-Rimbaud, D., Massart, D. L., Saby, C. A. and Puel, C.: 1997, ‘Characterisation of the representativity of selected sets of samples in multivariate calibration and pattern recognition’, Analytica Chimica Acta 350(1), 149–161.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Journel, A. G. and Huijbregts, C. J.: 1978, Mining Geostatistics, Academic Press, New York, 600 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Keune, H. and Mandry, P.: 1996, ‘Harmonization of Environmental Data. The Requirements for Developing a Consistent View of the Environment World-Wide’, in: W. Schröder, O. Fränzle, H. Keune and P. Mandry (eds.), Global Monitoring of Terrestrial Ecosystems (pp. 51–56), Ernst & Sohn, Berlin, 281 pp.

  • Klijn, F. and de Haes, H. A. U.: 1994, ‘A hierarchical approach to ecosystems and its applications for ecological land classification’, Landscape Ecol. 9, 89–104.

    Google Scholar 

  • Küchler, A. W.: 1973, ‘Problems in classifying and mapping vegetation for ecological regionalization,’ Ecology 54, 512–523.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lagacherie, P., Robbez-Masson, J. M., Nguyen-The, N. and Barthes, J. P.: 2001, ‘Mapping of reference area representativity using a mathematical soilscape distance,’ Geoderma 101(3), 105–118.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lary, D. J.: 2004, ‘Representativeness uncertainty in chemical data assimilation highlight mixing barriers,’ Atmos. Sci. Letters 5(1–4), 35–41.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lewis, R. A., Stein, N. and Lewis, C. W. (eds.): 1986, Specimen Banking and Environmental Monitoring as Related to Banking. Den Haag.

  • Lindacher, R.: 1996, ‘Verifikation der potentiellen natürlichen Vegetation mittels Vegetationssimulation am Beispiel der TK 6434 Hersbruck,’ Hoppea 57, 5–143.

    Google Scholar 

  • Loosmis, J. and Echohawk, J. C.: 1999, ‘Using GIS to identify underrepresented ecosystems in the national wilderness system in the USA’, Environ. Conserv. 26, 53–58.

    Google Scholar 

  • Matheron, G.: 1971, ‘The Theory of Regionalized Variables and Its Applications’, in: Les Cahiers du Centre de Morphologie Mathématique, No. 5. École de Mines de Paris, 211 pp.

  • Mattern, K., Hain, B. and Schönthaler, K.: 2004, Ökosystemare Umweltbeobachtung. Pages 233–245 in Deutsches MAB-Nationalkomitee (Hrsg.) Voller Leben. UNESCO-Biosphärenreservate. Modellregionen für eine nachhaltige Entwicklung. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 314 pp.

  • Moog, O., Schmidt-Kloiber, A., Ofenbock, T. and Gerritsen, J.: 2004, ‘Does the ecoregion approach support the typological demands of the EU Water Framework Directive?’, Hydrobiologia 516(1), 21–33.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Morrison, J. C., Olson, D. M., Loucks, C. J., Dinerstein, E., Allnutt, T. F., Wikramanayake, E. D., Ricketts, T. H., Burgess, N. D., Kura, Y., Powell, G. V. N., Lamoreux, J. F., Underwood, E. C., Wettengel, W. W., D'Amico, J. A., Hedao, P., Itoua, I., Kassem, K. R. and Strand, H. E.: 2001, ‘Terrestrial ecoregions of the world. A new map of life on earth’, BioScience 51(11), 933–938.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Olea, R. A.: 1999, Geostatistics for Engineers and Earth Scientists, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Boston, Dordrecht, London. 303 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Omi, P. N., Wensel, L. C. and Murphy, J. L.: 1979, ‘An application of multivariate statistics to land-use planning: Classifying land units into homogeneous zones’, Forest Sci. 25, 399–314.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pfister, R. D. and Arno, S. F.: 1980, ‘Classifying forest habitat types based on potential climax vegetation’, Forest Sci. 26, 52–70.

    Google Scholar 

  • Piotrowsky, J. A., Bartels, F., Salski, A. and Schmidt, G.: 1994, ‘Fuzzy Kriging of Imprecise Hydrological Data’, in: Proceedings of IAMG Conference, Mont Tremblant, Quebec, Canada, pp. 282–288.

  • Radloff, D. L. and Betters, D. R.: 1978, ‘Multivariate analysis of physical site data for wildland classification’, Forest Sci. 24, 2–10.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reiche, E. W.: 1994, ‘Modelling temporal and spatial varibility of water and nitrogen dynamics on catchment scale,’ Ecol. Modell. 75/76, 134–142.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reiniger, C.: 1997, ‘Bioregional Planning and Ecosystem Protection’, in: G. F. Thompson and F. Steiner (eds.), Ecological Design and Planning, John Wiley & Sons, New York, pp. 185–200.

    Google Scholar 

  • Robertson, J. K. and Wilson, J. W.: 1985, ‘Design of the National Trends Network for Monitoring the Chemistry of Atmospheric Precipitation’, Circular 964. U.S. Geological Survey, Washington D.C., 46 pp.

  • Rühling, A. and Steinnes, E.: 1998, ‘Atmospheric Heavy Metal Deposition in Europe 1995–1996’, NORD 1998:15. Nordic Council of Ministers, Copenhagen, 66 pp.

  • Scholle, D.: 1996, Zusammenführung vegetationskundlicher, bodenkundlicher und nutzungsbezogener Daten zu einem landschaftsökologischen Indikationsverfahren. EcoSys Suppl. 21. Kiel, 201 pp.

  • Schönthaler, K.: 2002, Integrated Environmental Monitoring. Concept and Implementation. Umweltbundesamt and Bayerisches Staatsministerium für Landesentwicklung und Umweltfragen (Hrsg.), Schweinfurt (ISBN: 3-910088-65-1), 35 pp.

  • Schröder, W. and Schmidt, G.: 2001, Defining Ecoregions as Framework for the Assessment of Ecological Monitoring Networks in Germany by Means of GIS and Classification and Regression Trees (CART). Gate to Environmental and Health Sciences. 1–9. Available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1065/ehs2001.03.006

  • Schröder, W. and Pesch, R.: 2003, ‘Metal accumulation in mosses. Spatial analysis and indicator building by means of GIS, geostatistics and cluster techniques’, Environ. Monit. Assess. 98(1–3), 131–156.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schröder, W., Pesch, R. and Schmidt, G.: 2003, ‘Soil monitoring in Germany: Spatial representativity and methodical comparability’, J. Soils Sediments 4(1), 49–58.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schulz, J.: 1998, ‘Ecozones, global’, in: R. A. Meyers (ed.), Encyclopedia of Environmental Analysis and Remediation, Chichester: Wiley, pp. 1497–1518.

    Google Scholar 

  • Siewers, U., Herpin, U. and Straßburger, S.: 2000, Schwermetalleinträge in Deutschland. Moos-Monitoring 1995. Teil 2, Geologisches Jahrbuch, Sonderhefte, Heft SD 3, Stuttgart 103 pp.

  • Tamm, C. O.: 1991, ‘Nitrogen in terrestrial ecosystems. Questions of productivity, vegetational changes, and ecosystem stability’, Ecol. Studies 81, 113 pp. Springer-Verlag, Berlin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tirler, W., Donega, M., Voto, G. and Kahr, G.: 2003, ‘Quick evaluation of long term monitoring samples and its representativeness’, Organohalogen Compounds 60, 509–512.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Toth, J.: 1999, ‘Groundwater as a geologic agent. An overview of the causes, processes, and manifestations’, Hydrogeology J. 7, 1–14.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tüxen, R.: 1956, ‘Die heutige potentielle natürliche Vegetation als Gegenstand der Vegetationskartierung’, Angewandte Pflanzensoziologie 13, 5–42.

    Google Scholar 

  • UNECE (United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Convention on Long Range Transboundary Air Pollution): 2001, Monitoring of Atmospheric Heavy Metal Deposition in Europe Using Bryophytes. Experimental Protocol 2000/2001 Survey. Available at http://icpvegetation.ceh.ac.uk, Bangor, UK, 10 pp.

  • UNESCO: 1995, ‘Seville strategy for biosphere reserves. Biosphere Reserves’, Bull. Inter. Network 3, 5–9.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vana, M. and Tamm, E.: 2002, ‘Propagation of atmospheric aerosol and the area of representativeness of its measurements in the Baltic Sea region’, Atmos. Environ. 36(ER2), 391–401.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wagner, G.: 1995, ‘Basic approaches and methods for quality assurance and quality control in sample collection and storage for environmental monitoring,’ Sci. Total Environ. 176, 63–71.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • White, I. D., Mottershead, D. N. and Harrison, S. J.: 1984, Environmental Systems, George Allen & Unwin, London, 495 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wieringa, J.: 1996, ‘Does representative wind information exist?’, J. Wind Eng. Industrial Aerodynamics 65(1), 1–12.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhou, Y., Narumalani, S., Waltman, W. J., Waltman, S. W. and Palecki, M. A.: 2003, ‘A GIS-based spatial pattern analysis model for eco-region mapping and characterization’, Inter. J. Geograph. Information Sci. 17(5), 445–462.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut für Umweltwissenschaften, Hochschule Vechta, Vechta, Germany

    Winfried Schröder, Roland Pesch & Gunther Schmidt

Authors
  1. Winfried Schröder
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Roland Pesch
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Gunther Schmidt
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Winfried Schröder.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Schröder, W., Pesch, R. & Schmidt, G. Identifying and closing gaps in environmental monitoring by means of metadata, ecological regionalization and geostatistics using the UNESCO biosphere reserve rhoen (Germany) as an example. Environ Monit Assess 114, 461–488 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-006-4934-4

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-006-4934-4

Keywords

Search

Navigation