A research infrastructure (RI) is an organization that enables the research community to use specific facilities, resources and services in order to accelerate scientific achievements and promote sustainable research. The current ENVRI Community brings together 26 European Research Infrastructures that are studying different aspects of the Earth system. Fourteen Research Infrastructures are listed on the latest edition of the ESFRI Roadmap, which means they are the most advanced ones in their operations and the services they offer. The environmental research infrastructures are providing high-quality, open and FAIR in situ data from the different components of the Earth system from the four domains of the earth system:
Atmosphere
Research infrastructures studying air aim to define the processes that influence the composition of the earth’s atmosphere – from the lower troposphere to the magnetosphere.
Ecosystem
Research infrastructures studying life on Earth focus on ecosystems and the interactions between the biological, physical and chemical processes affecting their viability.
Marine
Many of our research infrastructures operate in and on the water, whether it is seawater studied from the sea floor up to the surface, freshwater in rivers and lakes, or water in its solid form known as the cryosphere.
Solid Earth
There are research infrastructures studying our land – from the deepest interior, where they investigate the internal structure and dynamics of planet Earth up to agricultural, urban or pristine land on the earth’s surface.
Multidomain
Earth is not an isolated system and thus, land, air, living species, and water are interacting with each other. as such, many of our research infrastructures study phenomena that involve several of these components.
The ENVRI community collaboration represents a powerful and holistic approach to studying the Earth System, advancing the scientific knowledge which is necessary to be able to deal with rapid global change that affects our society and our planet.
List of European Environmental Research Infrastructures (by domain)
Atmosphere
ACTRIS
“Coordinated long-term observations of atmospheric aerosols, clouds, and trace gases in Europe.”
Keywords: Atmospheric aerosols, clouds, trace gases, air quality, climate change
Domain: Atmosphere
Website: actris.eu
ACTRIS is the pan-European research infrastructure (RI) producing high-quality data and information on short-lived atmospheric constituents and on the processes leading to the variability of these constituents in natural and controlled atmospheres. ACTRIS provides services, including access to instrumented platforms and simulation chambers, tailored for scientific and technological usage for user from the public and private sectors. ACTRIS has an essential role in building new knowledge as well as in policy issues on climate change and air quality, associated with document Ref. Ares(2018)5931584 – 20/11/2018 824068 ENVRI-FAIR – Part B 18 quality, and long-range transport of pollutants. ACTRIS was accepted for the ESFRI Roadmap in 2016 and has entered its Implementation Phase. Coordinating institution: FMI, Finland Coordinator: Eija Juurola; Scientific Chair: Paolo Laj Representing organisations in ENVRI-FAIR: FMI, CNR, CNRS, NILU, UHEL
ARISE
“A unique research and data platform to elucidate atmospheric dynamics from the stratosphere to the lower thermosphere.”
Keywords: Atmospheric Dynamics, Middle Atmosphere, Model uncertainties, Weather predictions, Extreme events, Volcanic eruptions
Domain: Atmosphere
Website: http://arise-project.eu
Contact: elisabeth.blanc /at/ cea.fr
ARISE combines complementary observations – infrasound technology, lidars, radars, ionospheric sounders and satellites – with modeling for a better description of the dynamics from the stratosphere to the lower thermosphere where observations are rare. The objective is to determine the effects of poorly resolved disturbances – such as sudden stratospheric warming events, gravity and planetary waves – on uncertainties in weather and climate models.
Expected impacts:
– Improvement of weather forecasting to monthly and seasonal scales
– Remote volcano monitoring (non instrumented volcanoes); aviation security
– Evolution of extreme events with climate change.
EISCAT 3D
A next generation research radar for the polar upper atmosphere
Keywords: Atmosphere, ionosphere, space weather, radar
Domain: Atmospheric
Website: eiscat3d.se
EISCAT_3D is a multi-static phased array radar system dedicated to observations of the Earth’s polar atmosphere above the northern Scandinavian Peninsula. The project is run by EISCAT Scientific Association an existing international research infrastructure that is currently funded and operated by research councils and funding organizations in Norway, Sweden, Finland, Japan, China and the United Kingdom and has its headquarters in Kiruna, Sweden. The ESFRI selected EISCAT_3D for inclusion in the Roadmap 2008 for Large-Scale European Research Infrastructures. Coordinating institution: EISCAT Scientific Association, Sweden; Coordinator: Craig Heinselman Representing organisations in ENVRI-FAIR: EISCAT_3D
EUFAR
European facility for airborne research
Keywords: Environmental sciences, Airborne research, Atmospheric measurements, Remote sensing
Domain: Atmospheric, multidomain
Website: eufar.net
Contact information: bureau /at/ eufar.net
EUFAR AISBL links the operators of research aircraft and their instrumentation, scientific users and funding agencies. It aims to enhance collaboration, spread best practice, promote efficiency and enhance user access to both the facilities and their data. EUFAR services: Airborne measurement campaigns. Common data portal. Tools for data discovery and processing. Calibration standards and software for airborne measurements. INSPIRE-compliant metadata to aid inter-operability within the ENVRI community.
HEMERA RI
The HEMERA stratospheric balloon infrastructure
Keywords: Scientific Ballooning
Domain: Atmospheric
Website: hemera-h2020.eu
Contact information: info /at/ hemera-h2020.eu
HEMERA is the European Research Infrastructure for scientific ballooning funded from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and Innovation programme under grant agreement No. 730970. It brings together space agencies and space access providers, scientific bodies and industry.
HEMERA provides Trans-National Access to balloon flights and scientific data acquired through balloon flights, strengthens and enlarges the user community and improves ballooning technology and scientific instrumentation. HEMERA allows scientists and users to fly small to medium scientific or technological payloads on stratospheric balloon gondolas and under-sounding balloons at no cost. Data acquired in these flights will be made publicly accessible on the HEMERA web portal.
IAGOS
In Service Aircraft for a Global Observing System
Keywords: Trace gases, clouds and aerosols, UTLS
Domain: Atmospheric
Website: iagos.org
IAGOS implements and operates a global observation system for atmospheric composition, aerosol particles and clouds by deploying autonomous instruments aboard a passenger aircraft fleet. The European consortium behind IAGOS includes research centres, universities, national weather services, airline operators and aviation industry. IAGOS provides freely accessible data for users in science and policy including air quality forecasting, verification of CO2 emissions and Kyoto monitoring, numerical weather prediction, and validation of satellite products. IAGOS AISBL was founded in January 2014. It is considered a major contributor to the in-situ component of COPERNICUS Services Atmosphere (CAMS) and Climate (C3S) and serves as contributing network to GAW. Coordinating institutions: CNRS Laboratoire d’Aerologie, France; FZJ, Germany; Coordinators: Valerie Thouret (CNRS), Andreas Petzold (FZJ) Representing organisations in ENVRI-FAIR: CNRS, FZJ
Biosphere and ecosystem
AnaEE
Fostering ecosystem science through experimentation
Keywords: Terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, agroecosystems, experimentation, modelling, functional ecology, ecosystem services
Domain: Terrestrial ecosystem / Biodiversity
Website: anaee.eu
AnaEE (Analysis and Experimentation on Ecosystems) is a research infrastructure that brings together a series of state-of-the-art experimental and analytical platforms throughout Europe. By linking these platforms to modelling approaches, AnaEE advances our understanding of the environmental impacts of ongoing global change, and fosters adaptation and mitigation strategies for safeguarding ecosystem services and their economic and societal benefits. It forges evidence-based adaptation and mitigation strategies that assure plant, soil, water, biodiversity and ecosystem health today and in the future. Those strategies are needed to maintain essential services to society, including carbon sequestration, food security, clean water, biodiversity. Characteristic to AnaEE, its versatile facilities can simulate environmental drivers from land-use change, pollution, biological invasions, rising atmospheric greenhouse gases concentrations, and to increasing extreme events such as droughts and heatwaves. AnaEE has the potential to look into the future, thanks to the integrative and coordinated usage of its experimental, analytical and modelling facilities. It provides open and easy access to resources and services to a broad user community world-wide to conduct excellent experimental research, foster innovation and provide high-quality information. AnaEE is a key structure to obtain the knowledge necessary to tackle the complex global environmental challenges facing human societies.
Coordinating institution: AnaEE ; Coordinators: Michel Boër.
Representing organizations in ENVRI-FAIR: INRA, CNRS, CREA
DiSSCo
Distributed System of Scientific Collections
Keywords: Natural history collections, biodiversity data, digital specimen, FAIR, data harmonization
Domain: Geo- and bio-diversity, natural history collections, environment, research
Website: dissco.eu
The Distributed System of Scientific Collections is a new world-class Research Infrastructure (RI) for natural science collections. The DiSSCo RI works for the digital unification of all European natural science assets under common curation, access, policies and practices, and aims to ensure that the data is easily Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable (FAIR). As such, DiSSCo will transform a fragmented landscape of individual natural science collections into an integrated knowledge base that provides interconnected hard evidence of the natural world. DiSSCo represents the largest ever formal agreement between natural history museums, botanic gardens and collection-holding universities in the world.
EMPHASIS
European infrastructure for plant phenotyping
Keywords: Plant phenotyping, agriculture, food production, climate change
Domain: Terrestrial Ecosystem
Website: emphasis.plant-phenotyping.eu
Contact information: emphasis /a/ fz-julich.de
EMPHASIS is a distributed research infrastructure for multi-scale plant phenomics and simulation. We want to enable scientists to improve plant production in order to secure future food supplies and agricultural business in Europe in a changing climate. EMPHASIS develops and provides access to facilities and services that address multi-scale plant phenotyping in different agro-climatic scenarios in Europe. EMPHASIS aims to address the technological and organisational limits of European plant phenotyping to make the most of genetic and genomic resources available and essential for crop improvement in times of a changing climate.
INTERACT
Building capacity for environmental research and monitoring in arctic and neighbouring alpine and forest areas
Keywords: Access to the Arctic, Observing the Arctic,Terrestrial Research Infrastructure, Terrestrial Arctic
Domain: Terrestrial Ecosystem
Website: eu-interact.org
Contact information: info /at/ hemera-h2020.eu
86 research stations in 16 countries – INTERACT is building capacity for identifying, understanding, predicting and responding to environmental changes. Creating a circumarctic platform – INTERACT stations work together to provide an efficient platform for coordinated research, monitoring and logistics by sharing experiences and harmonising activities. Putting scientists in the field – INTERACT provides funding for access to stations throughout the Arctic and is a one-stop-shop for many types of information. 7800 Transnational Access-days are offered at 43 research stations during 2016-2020.
Marine
Euro-Argo
Keywords: Ocean observing system, profiling float, physics, biogeochemistry
Domain: Marine
Website: euro-argo.eu
Contact information: euro-argo.eu/sendform/contact
Argo is a global real-time in situ ocean observing network of about 4,000 autonomous floats worldwide, performing recurring vertical profiles of the water column while drifting in the ocea. It reflects an international recognition of the need to continuously observe key environmental parameters, allowing to assess global change. Euro-Argo ERIC is the research infrastructure coordinating and strengthening the European contribution to the Argo international program. It aims at providing, deploying and operating 25% of the Argo float network which provides an unprecedent free, open and quality-controlled database.
EUROFLEETSplus
An alliance of European marine research infrastructure to meet the evolving needs of the research and industrial communities
Keywords: marine research infrastructure, research vessel, marine equipment, ROV, AUV, transnational access
Domain: Marine
Website: eurofleets.eu
Contact information: eurofleetsplus /at/ marine.ie
The EUROFLEETS+ project will facilitate open free of charge access to an integrated and advanced research vessel fleet, designed to meet the evolving and challenging needs of the user community. European and international researchers from academia and industry will be able to apply for several access programmes, through a single-entry system. EUROFLEETS+ will prioritise support for research on sustainable, clean and healthy oceans, linking with existing ocean observation infrastructures, and it will support innovation through working closely with industry. The project will enable access to a unique fleet of 27 state-of-the-art research vessels from European and international partners. Through competitive Calls, researchers will be able to access the entire North Atlantic, Mediterranean, Black Sea, North Sea, Baltic Sea, Pacific Southern Ocean and Ross Sea. In addition to ship time, researchers will also have access to new AUVs and ROVs. A unique portable telepresence system will enable remote access by researchers and diverse end users including the public; a first for Europe.
GROOM RI
Gliders for research, ocean observation & management: infrastructure and innovation
Keywords: Ocean gliders, marine research infrastructures, marine data, ocean observing
Domain: Marine
Website: groom-ri.eu
Contact information: contact /at/ groom-h2020.eu
GROOM RI is a distributed European Research Infrastructure harnessing the advantages of Marine Autonomous Systems (MAS). MAS, among which are the underwater gliders, are highly capable platforms that can collect ocean surface and water column measurements at a wide range of spatio-temporal scales and, in recent years, they have become ubiquitous for marine research, Ocean Observing Systems and for industrial applications. GROOM RI integrates national infrastructures for Marine Autonomous Systems and promotes a collaborative approach of collecting and sharing oceanographic data, and of supporting MAS development and innovation. It provides access to platforms and services to the broadest range of scientific and industrial users, as well as to other marine RIs in the offshore and coastal domains. By maintaining a unique centralised provision of cyber-infrastructure, data and knowledge, it optimises the use of MAS in Europe to study climate and marine environments, and also supports operational services and the blue economy.
JERICO RI
The European integrated infrastructure for in situ coastal observation
Keywords: Operational, Coastal, Observation, Model, Forecast, Continuous, Quality, Data, European, Multidisciplinary, Integrated, Products, Services
Domain: Marine
Website: jerico-ri.eu
Contact information: jerico /at/ ifremer.fr
JERICO-RI is the main provider of high quality continuous operational coastal data for Europe. The data provide validation of coastal satellite data, support operational model forecasting and create a valuable downstream service for SMEs. JERICO services: Provision of consistent physical-biogeochemical-biological datasets at local and regional scales. Delivery of continuous Essential Coastal Variables adapted to describing complex and coupled coastal processes. Value creation through downstream services for SME’s, educators, policy, forecasting and research.
SeaDataNet
Key words: standards for metadata and data, formats, vocabularies, software tools
Domain: Marine
Website: seadatanet.org
Contact information: sdn-userdesk /at/ seadatanet.org
Active since 2006, it involves more than 110 data centres and it makes available more than 2 million datasets. The SeaDataNet portal offers different services: discovering, visualisation, access and data downloading as well as data products and metadata services. The data provided has a good quality, checked by the data producers, experts in the specific domains and the infrastructure’s information system. The infrastructure is innovating and improving by means of the SeaDataCloud project. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research Infrastructures programme, under the grant agreement No 730960”.
Solid Earth
EPOS
Key words: Solid Earth science, Plate Observing System
Domain: Solid Earth Science
Website: epos-eu.org
EPOS, the European Plate Observing System, is a multidisciplinary, distributed research infrastructure that facilitates the integrated use of data, data products, and facilities from the solid Earth science community in Europe. With the goal of a better understanding of the active Earth system processes controlling earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, unrest episodes and tsunamis as well as those driving tectonics and Earth surface dynamics. EPOS aims to build an efficient and comprehensive research platform for the Earth sciences in Europe relying on new e-science opportunities through the construction of a distributed e-infrastructure (EPOS Core Services). EPOS will allow the Earth Science community to make a significant step forward by developing new concepts and tools for accurate, durable, and sustainable answers to societal questions concerning geo-hazards and those geodynamic phenomena (including georesources) relevant to the environment and human welfare. On October the 30th 2018, the European Commission granted the legal status of European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC) to EPOS. Based in Italy, in Rome, at the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV) EPOS ERIC is currently joined by fourteen countries. Lilli Freda is the EPOS ERIC Executive Director appointed on April 1st 2021. Representing organisations in ENVRI-FAIR: INGV, UKRI, CNRS, UiB, BRGM, KNMI, CNR
Atmosphere, biosphere & ecosystem, marine
EuroGOOS
Towards sustained ocean observations and fit-for-purpose products and services for marine and maritime users
Keywords: Marine research infrastructures, ocean observing, marine data, blue economy
Domain: Marine
Website: eurogoos.eu
Contact information: Dina.Eparkhina /at/ eurogoos.eu
EuroGOOS identifies priorities, enhances cooperation and promotes the benefits of operational oceanography to ensure sustained observations are made in Europe’s seas underpinning a suite of fit-for-purpose products and services for marine and maritime end-users. EuroGOOS is a pan-European network operating within the Global Ocean Observing System of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC GOOS).
ICOS
Standardised, high-quality & open greenhouse gas data
Keywords: Greenhouse gas observations, carbon cycle, standardised measurements, data integration, ERIC
Domain: Multi-domain
Website: icos-ri.eu
ICOS RI provides the long-term observations required to understand the present state and predict future behaviour of the global carbon cycle and greenhouse gas emissions. The objectives of ICOS RI are to provide effective access to a single and coherent data set to facilitate research into multi-scale analysis of greenhouse gas emissions, sinks and the processes that determine them, and to provide information, which is profound for research and understanding of regional budgets of greenhouse gas sources and sinks, their human and natural drivers, and the controlling mechanisms. ICOS RI tracks carbon fluxes in Europe and adjacent regions by observing the ecosystems, the atmosphere and the oceans through integrated national station networks, European central facilities and distributes the GHG data to the users via ICOS Carbon Portal. ICOS ERIC was established in November 2015. Coordinating institution: ICOS ERIC, Finland; Coordinator: Werner Kutsch Representing organisations in ENVRI-FAIR: UHEL, FMI, ULUND, UVSQ, CMCC, UiB
IS-ENES3
Infrastructure for the European network for earth system modelling ENES
Keywords: Climate modelling, climate change and variability, Earth System, HPC, Data, climate impacts
Domain: Multi-domain
Website: is.enes.org
Contact information: sylvie.joussaume@lsce.ipsl.fr
IS-ENES (2 I3 projects, a third phase proposed) integrates the community, fosters model development, facilitates high-end experiments, and ensures dissemination of results. IS-ENES contributes to the WCRP internationally-coordinated experiments used in IPCC assessments. IS-ENES services: On models and model environment: support for CMIP5 European models, documentation, help and access.
SIOS
Building an observing system to provide added value to earth system science in the high-arctic
Keywords: Earth System Science, distributed RI, data sharing, access to RI, Svalbard, Arctic
Domain: Multi-domain
Website: sios-svalbard.org
Contact information: information@sios-svalbard.org
The Svalbard integrated Earth observing system (SIOS) is a regional observational system for long term measurements in and around Svalbard addressing Earth System Science questions. SIOS integrates the existing distributed observational infrastructure and coordinates further development of this in order to answer the scientific questions identified. The SIOS Knowledge Center (SIOS-KC) is the central hub of SIOS offering the coordinated services identified by the partners, including integration and optimisation of the observing system, access to the research infrastructure, integration and coordination of data management and coordination of logistical services for scientists. Services are developed by the partners with coordination support from SIOS-KC. Coordinating institution: SIOS Knowledge Center through the legal entity SIOS Svalbard AS (a public limited company); Coordinator: Heikki Lihavainen Representing organisations in ENVRI-FAIR: SIOS Knowledge Center, CNR.
Biosphere & ecosystem, marine
AQUACOSM-plus
Keywords: Transnational Access, Networking, Joint Research
Domain: Multi-domain (Marine & Freshwater)
Website: aquacosm.eu
The only network offering access to a full range of European freshwater and marine experimental mesocosm facilities including streams, ponds, lakes, estuaries and oceans. AQUACOSM will fund 10 500 Transnational user days to 37 advanced facilities. This is a unique opportunity to study ecosystem processes and effects of stressors in a range of aquatic systems in collaboration with European science teams with decades of experience of successful large-scale experiments.
DANUBIUS-RI
Keywords: River-Sea Systems, Estuarine, Delta, Coast, Interdisciplinarity Freshwater, Marine, Research
Domain: River, Marine, Multi
Website: danubius-ri.eu
DANUBIUS-RI will be a pan-European distributed research infrastructure supporting interdisciplinary research on large river-sea systems. It will fill the gap, drawing on existing research excellence across Europe, enhancing the impact of European research while maximising the return on investment. It will provide access to a range of European river-sea systems, facilities and expertise; a ‘one-stop shop’ for knowledge exchange in managing river-sea systems; access to harmonised data; and a platform for interdisciplinary research, inspiration, education and training. The RI will comprise a Hub and a Data Centre in Romania, a Technology Transfer Office in Ireland, and Supersites and Nodes across Europe. This structure will enable DANUBIUS-RI to build on existing expertise and synergies to support world-leading interdisciplinary research and innovation in freshwater-marine research. Coordinating Institution: GEOECOMAR, Romania; Coordinators: Adrian Stanica, Michael Schultz Representing organisations in ENVRI-FAIR: GEOECOMAR, INSB, USTIR, CNR.
eLTER
Keywords: Long-term research, cross-disciplinary, multi-domain, multi-scale, socio-ecology, in-situ
Domain: Biodiversity/Ecosystems
Website: elter-ri.euThe Long-Term Ecosystem, critical zone and socio-ecological Research Infrastructure (eLTER RI) is now in the preparatory phase of formal implementation as a pan-European Research Infrastructure. The eLTER RI will comprise about 200 eLTER Sites and eLTSER Platforms from over 20 participating European countries. It will offer a wide range of European-level Central Services for different users, including access to sites and site data from multiple sources. eLTER RI will enable standard observations and analyses of the environment in a holistic manner, encompassing biological, geological, hydrological and socio-ecological perspectives. To secure the implementation of the eLTER RI, the European Commission has recently approved two major, complementary Horizon2020 projects: eLTER PLUS (Advanced Community) and eLTER PPP (Preparatory Phase). The projects will provide a major boost to scientific work at selected eLTER sites across Europe (eLTER PLUS) and thereby catalyze eLTER RI development (eLTER PPP). Both projects will start in February 2020 and will last five years.
EMBRC
Supporting marine ecosystems and biodiversity research
Keywords: marine biology, marine ecology, climate change, ecosystems, marine organisms, biology
Domain: Multi-domain (Marine and biodiversity)
Website: embrc.eu
Contact information: secretariat /at/ embrc.eu
EMBRC supports all biological research of the marine environment, its biodiversity, and their interactions through access to marine biological resources and experimental systems. EMBRC Services: Biological resources, ecosystem access, experimental facilities, technology platforms, expert advice, supporting facilities, training and education, long-term ecological data.
LifeWatch
Reshaping biodiversity and ecosystem research
Keywords: Biodiversity, Ecosystem Research, ICT services, Computing, Big Data, Open Data, Open Science, Cloud, Training
Domain: Multi-domain
Website: lifewatch.eu
LifeWatch ERIC is the e-Science European infrastructure for biodiversity & ecosystem research. It invests in its three essential components: open access resources, reproducible analytics and mobilised communities. By equipping scientists with distributed computational and storage capacity, tools and web services for data integration and interoperability, as well as with Virtual Research Environments, LifeWatch ERIC makes it possible to test scenarios of change in biodiversity, ecosystems and their services and support the formulation of nature-based solutions. Such evidence-based synthetic knowledge can then be made available to decision-makers and citizens, empowering society to tackle planetary challenges and supporting the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the EU Green Deal and the 2030 Biodiversity Strategy targets. In addition, LifeWatch ERIC provides training and learning opportunities for a range of users, ensuring access to all the data, services and resources available within the infrastructure. Chief Executive Officer: Christos Arvanitidis. Representing organisations in ENVRI-FAIR: LifeWatch ERIC
Marine, solid earth
EMSO
European Multidisciplinary Seafloor and water column Observatory
Keywords: long-term in situ ocean observations, climate change, marine ecosystems, geo-hazards Domain: Marine, multi-domain
Website: emso.eu