README ====== Dataset title: The International Cooperative Programme on Integrated Monitoring of Air Pollution Effects on Ecosystems (ICP IM) Creators: James Weldon Adéla Holubová Šmejkalová Ainis Pivoras  Algirdas Augustaitis Andrzej Kostrzewski Angelika Kölbl Anna Koukhta Barbara Albiniak Camilla Capelli Carolina Santamaría David Elustondo Esther Lasheras Filip Moldan Giancarlo Papitto Gisela Pröll Hampus Markensten Heidi Koger Heleen de Wit Ieva Baužienė Ika Djukic Iveta Indriksone Jesús Miguel Santamaría Johannes Kobler Johannes Peterseil Jussi Vuorenmaa Karin Eklöf Kairi Lõhmus Krzysztof Skotak Lieke E. Vlaar Liisa Ukonmaanaho Martin Forsius Martyn Futter Mercedes Valerio Michael Mirtl Mikołaj Majewski Nicholas Clark Nicole Wellbrock Pavel Krám Pernilla Rönnback Rafael Miranda Ricardo Ibañez Robert Kruszyk Sara Jutterström Sarah Venier Sergei Gromov Thomas Cummins Thomas Dirnböck Thomas Plha Ulf Grandin Ulla Makkonen Wenche Aas Responsible organization: Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences See the Researchdata.se catalogue entry for this dataset for complete metadata, including the dataset description, recommended citation, contact information, and information about how to obtain the dataset. Description: The International Cooperative Programme on Integrated Monitoring of Air Pollution Effects on Ecosystems (ICP IM) presents a comprehensive long-term dataset of ongoing integrated ecosystem monitoring from European forested catchments. The dataset encompasses measurements from monitoring stations across 14 European countries, with temporal coverage extending in most cases from the 1990s to the present (sites have different completeness of data over the period, a few have much longer time series in one or two subprogrammes only). This initial release covers data up to 2020, more recent data will be released on a rolling basis with a new update every year. The integrated monitoring approach applies over multiple monitoring subprogrammes to simultaneously measure physical, chemical, and biological properties across ecosystem compartments including atmosphere, precipitation, throughfall, soil, soil water, groundwater, runoff water, vegetation, and biota. All measurements follow standardised protocols detailed in the ICP IM Manual, ensuring data quality and comparability across sites and time periods. The dataset supports research on ecosystem responses to air pollution, climate change impacts, and biogeochemical cycling. Data is provided by subprogramme (all sites and all years with data in one file), geographic co-ordinates for sites are available in a separate file. Historical data from inactive sites in Belarus, Denmark, Iceland and the United Kingdom are currently available by request, as is data from Finland in sub-programmes TF,SF,SC,SW,FC,LF,FD,VG,EP and BV. The monitoring is done under the framework of the UN Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution (CLRTAP) and also has an important role in reporting under the EU national emissions ceiling directive (NECD). License: CC BY 4.0 Access restrictions: N/A Essential information for dataset reuse. ---------------------------------------- Users are strongly encouraged to refer to the ICP IM Monitoring Manual which describes in detail both the methods used to make measurements in the field and the laboratory, the data formats used, explanations of column headers and flags used in all subprogrammes and example files. This is provided alongside the data. Also see https://www.slu.se/en/about-slu/organisation/departments/aquatic-sciences/environment/integrated-monitoring/ The IM monitoring programme is ongoing and an updated version of the dataset will be uploaded annually. Dataset organization -------------------- The data are organised as one CSV file (UTF-8 encoding) per subprogram, covering all sites and years for which data are available (e.g. VG_vegetation.csv contains all available data from the vegetation subprogramme). Geographic co-ordinates for sites are available in IM_sites_info.csv. Empty cells in the data should be interpreted as N/A rather than zero. An overview table of which site/subprogramme/year combinations are included in the data can be found in ICP_IM_site_coverage. Datafile descriptions ---------------------- Explanations of column names- AREA: Country code and area number of the monitoring site (e.g. SE14 is Sweden, site 14) CLASS: Classification code (e.g., diameter, height, decomposition, vitality classes) COUNTRY: Two-letter ISO country code for site location DAMAGE: Code describing cause/type of damage (for tree condition) DAY: Day of the month (normally not given; used mainly if daily data are reported) DETER: Code for determination method (used for chemical data) FLAGQUA: Data quality flag (“L” less than detection, “E” estimated value) FLAGSTA: Status flag indicating how value was derived X = Arithmetic average, mean W = Weighted mean S = Sum SE = Standard Error M = Mode Primary values are reported without a status flag. INST: Two-letter institute or office code responsible for measurements LEVEL: Measurement or sampling level (e.g., height or depth in cm) LISTMED: Medium code list for GBIF, soils, etc. LISTSUB: Parameter code list (e.g., for biochemical or IM parameters) MEDIUM: Code for sampled substrate MEDIUM_NAME_GBIF: GBIF accepted scientific name of sample medium/species MEDIUM_TAXONKEY_GBIF: GBIF Taxon key ID of sample medium/species NAME_GBIF: GBIF accepted scientific name of sampled taxon NEEDLES: number of needles on shoots in some subprogrammes PARAM: Parameter code identifying the measured variable (e.g., DBH, COVEF) PARLIST: Parameter list code indicating type/list of parameters reported PFLAG: Flag for permanent/non-permanent trees (e.g., in epiphytes subprogramme) PRETRE: Pretreatment method code used in chemical sample preparation SCODE: Four-digit station or sample plot code SIZE: Size of observed area (e.g., hectares) SPOOL: Spatial pool size—number of samples pooled for reported values SUBPROG: Subprogramme code or file identifier (2-letter code) SUBPROG_COLLECTION: Collection code for grouped subprogrammes or data hub context SUBST: Chemical substance code (e.g., NO3N for nitrate-N) TAXONKEY_GBIF: GBIF Taxon key ID for taxon/sample medium TREE_OR_QUARTER: Tree identifier or sampling quarter/plot ID (NOTE! Before 2010, subplot data in VG were reported as a per species mean value over each quarter of the intensive plot. This variable is now used to identify the subplot (i.e. raw data of per species coverage at each subplot are reported, and “TREE_OR_QUARTER" is the subplot ID). UNIT: Measurement unit (e.g. cm, m, kg) VALUE: Measured or calculated value in suggested unit (up to 3 decimals) YYYYMM: Year and month of measurement in “YYYYMM” format Codes ---------------------- Where codes are referenced, these are provided in the files determination_codes.csv, parameters_and_codes_by_subprogramme.csv, pretreatment_codes.csv and substance_codes.csv Reference information --------------------- Data Quality: Quality assurance procedures are noted in the ICP IM Monitoring Manual. Given the long time series there are disturbances that occurred that may have an impact on the data. Users are advised to assess all compartments for a full picture. For example a change in ground vegetation may be due to increased light after a bark beetle attack but this reason will not be apparent from looking at the VG Vegetation subprogramme in isolation. Some data are not included in the openly published dataset at the request of the data owners, or for some historical data because it was not possible to get a decision on consent to publish openly. We hope to add these data in future versions, but for now these data are available by request from the IM Programme Centre, who can also advise on best practice for using data im-database@slu.se