CzeCOS

Name of project: CzeCOS LM2015061, LM2018123 and LM2023048

Provider: Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports
The main beneficiary: Global Change Research Institute, CAS

The large research infrastructure CzeCOS is included in the national roadmap of major research infrastructures. This roadmap was approved by the Czech government in 2010 and updated in 2015 (project no. LM2015061), 2018 (project no. LM2018123) and 2023 (project no. LM2023048).

The large research infrastructure CzeCOS is a unique platform for undertaking comprehensive international interdisciplinary research on Global Change (GC) and its impacts on ecosystems. It substantially contributes to the fulfillment of international commitments of the Czech Republic in the field of research, adaptation and mitigation of Global Change impacts. As for the Czech Republic, CzeCOS is the only national component of the following European Research Infrastructures ICOS ERIC – Integrated Carbon Observation System- infrastructure for the research on the fluxes of greenhouse gases (founding member), AnaEE-ERIC – analytical and experimental infrastructure for ecosystems (founding member), EUFAR – EUropean Facility for Airborne Research - infrastructure for remote sensing within environmental monitoring. CzeCOS is also active member of ESFRI eLTER RI - long-term research on ecosystems, critical zones and socio-ecological systems  a ESFRI DANUBIUS-ERIC - advanced studies on river-sea systems.

LRI CzeCOS offers a unique link between the following:

1. MANIPULATION EXPERIMENT INFRASTRUCTURE for long-term impact studies investigating the effects of environmental factors on ecosystems/plants/microorganisms, understanding the mechanisms of stress responses, acclimation or adaptation, and for development and testing of adaptation and mitigation measures,

2. OBSERVATION INFRASTRUCTURE for quantification of GHGs fluxes in different ecosystems, observation of long-range transport of GHGs, national-scale monitoring of forest vitality and growth (DendroNetwork-FireRisk), and evaluating the impacts of global change on hydrology and biogeochemistry in ecosystems (GEOMON) together with detailed microclimate measurements, which are then used to operate warning and information portals,

3. ANALYTICAL INFRASTRUCTURE ifor targeted and non-targeted metabolomics (HPLC-MS, GC-MS), elemental and stable isotope analyses across the soil–plant–atmosphere system and biogeochemical laboratories, which serve for understanding the response of ecosystem processes to environmental drivers,

4. REMOTE SENSING INFRASTRUCTURE including airborne carrier, UAS-drone, and sensors for spatio-temporal assessment of ecosystem structure, function and changes, and for up-scaling the field-level observations and studies,

5. ECOPHYSIOLOGICAL LABORATORY for the investigation of basic eco-physiological processes in plants, soil or whole ecosystem connected with carbon, nitrogen and water cycles and for evaluating sub-processes, mechanisms, and production parameters at the level from cells to individuals,

6. MODELLING INFRASTRUCTURE - newly developed infrastructure as a part of AnaEE-ERIC connecting various levels of experimental and observational research applying process-based models, model cascades and digital twins, which allows upscaling of the data from the site to the regional and global level as well as providing future predictions using climate models and scenarios.

The CzeCOS is represented by a unique set of facilities for the research of GC impacts on ecosystems and landscape, investigation of adaptation mechanisms within individual parts of ecosystems (plants, soils, microorganisms, hydrological regime, etc.) and subsequent development of mitigation measures. A combination of precise analytical instruments, equipment for physiological measurements, facilities for laboratory and field manipulation experiments, ecosystem stations for an investigation of energy and matter (GHGs) fluxes, small research catchments and advanced equipment for remote sensing are interconnected through process-based models, enabling the testing of various hypotheses, the verification of acquired knowledge at different temporal, spatial, and hierarchical levels, the provision of predictions of expected ecosystem responses, and decision-making tools for their adaptation or the strengthening of mitigation functions.

The existing research infrastructure CzeCOS seamlessly follows up on the activities and mission of the original infrastructure. The infrastructure has been significantly strengthened and has reached top international level thanks to the implementation of the OP RDI - Center of Excellence.