LTER Sweden

Last changed: 10 January 2022
The logotypes of LTER Sweden and SITES logotyper. Illustration.

LTER Sweden is a network for Swedish research and monitoring stations conducting long term ecological research and monitoring. The network is open to all stations that fulfil the basic requirements set up by LTER Sweden and its mother organisation LTER Europe.

The LTER organisation also includes more extensive LTSER sites (Long Term Socio Ecological Research). LTER Sweden has one LTSER site and 20 LTER sites. LTER Sweden is co-ordinated by Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) and Ulf Grandin is co-ordinator. To further enforce Swedish ecosystem research, LTER Sweden cooperates with SITES, and all SITES stations are also members in LTER Sweden.

LTER Sweden is one out of about 20 national networks in belonging to the pan-European organisation LTER Europe. Globally, LTER Europe is organised under the international organisation International LTER (ILTER).

The organization of LTER. Illustration.

The LTER network is based on individual LTER/LTSER sites forming national LTER networks collected under regional mother organisations, which in turn are collected under the International LTER (ILTER) organisation.

Meta data for all LTER sites associated to LTER Europe are freely available in the public database DEIMS.

Variables measured in LTER Europe are collected and tagged with scientific references the public database ECOPAR.

Specific aims of LTER Sweden

  • The network should reinforce Swedish environmental research and assessment by building capacity for data sharing and research cooperation between long-term monitoring and research stations and their associates.
  • The network should provide scientists with opportunities for research and environmental assessment at greater spatial and temporal scales than possible with data from one individual monitoring station.
  • The network should encourage applications for grants for research and environmental assessment activities not possible to conduct without a functioning Swedish LTER network, and also through an international cooperation, especially with other LTER organisations.
  • The network will encourage new research areas and multidisciplinary research emerging from the network structure. 

Logotype of LTER Europe. Illustration.
Logotype of ILTER. Illustration.

Swedish LTER sites

Application forms for becoming a member of the Swedish LTER network

Background document

Application form part 1 and part 2

Interface between LTER-Sweden and LTER Europe:

When did the country join LTER-Europe?

LTER-Sweden was founded in June 2010, and adopted by LTER-Europe and ILTER in August 2010.

Some sentences on the LTER-history of the country

LTER-Sweden is based on a number of established and running instrumented sites for ecological research and monitoring.

Organisation of the national network

The Swedish network is built on the bottom-up principle, where individual sites form the basis of the network, and a central secretariat coordinates national activities and contacts with the European and International mother LTER organisations. LTER-Sweden is governed by the member organisations through an annual meeting with one voting member per LTER site. A management board with members from a selection of the sites deals with strategic planning, grant applications and other managemenet issues. The central secretariat will run daily issues and be responsible for e.g. organising the annual meeting, maintaining the web site, updates and contacts with ILTER, LTER Europe, end users and stake holders

Officers of the national network

Ulf Grandin (chair), Lars Lundin (deputy chair), Pernilla Rönnback (secretary).

Research stations within LTER Sweden

Map of Sweden with the LTER sites. Illustration.