Sub-programmes

The ecosystem of a catchment is the target of Integrated monitoring (IM). In this transect figure some of its components and processes are indicated.

Swedish Integrated Monitoring runs the following sub-programmes according to the recommendations of the international IM:

 

Meteorology (AM)	Tree biomass and tree indication (BI)*
Air chemistry (AC)	Vegetation structure and species cover (VS)*
Precipitation chemistry (DC)	Understorey and trees on intensive plot (VG)
Throughfall (TF)	Microbial decomposition (MB) and soil respiration *
Aerial algae (AL)*	Soil chemistry (SC)
Trunk epiphytes (EP)	Soil water chemistry (SW)
Foliage chemistry (FC)	Groundwater chemistry (GW)*
Litterfall and its chemistry (LF)	Runoff water chemistry (RW)
Forest damage (FD)*

In brackets the international code for the subprogramme. * = optional subprogramme. Hydrological monitoring is an overall activity included in meteorolgy, throughfall, soil water, groundwater and runoff water.

It is central to IM that cause-effects relationships on both the ecosystem level and in its various parts can be detected and monitored. Therefore the physical and chemical processes and the biological responses are observed as integratedly as possible. In practice this means that sampling and observation are coordinated in time and space. The spatial coordination is performed by placing as much interdependent sampling and observation as possible at a central site in the catchment, i. e. near the runoff water gauge. The localisation of the various sampling stations are seen on the maps under Sites.