Site Specific Scientific Approach

Understanding the mechanisms of lake-level declines necessitates distinguishing between natural climatic and anthropogenic influences and their complex interactions. This requires relating actual observations with information from historical and natural archives. To address this issue we will combine observation of ongoing changes with a broad range of modern instrumentation and proxy data form high resolution natural archives in order to extend the time series back into time. Therefore, we designed a specific work package for the Northeastern Lowland Observatory to establish precisely dated time series at unprecedented resolution from tree rings and annually laminated lake sediments. These data will be linked with instrumental data obtained complementary working packages (hydrology, soil science, remote sensing). Through this approach we will strive towards a true long-term monitoring not starting today but including historic and prehistoric times.