Environmental sentry of mid-mountain forest ecosystems Understanding and protecting water, soil and forest healths
The OHGE is an environmental observatory studying a mid-mountain forest ecosystem in the Vosges Mountains (Aubure, Alsace, 880 to 1150 m altitude) since 1986, which makes it one of the oldest Critical Zone observatories monitored in the world. OHGE has over 35 years of geochemical, meteorological and hydrological time series. Initial research focused on the study of acid rain and its effects on streams, soils and forests.. Current scientific work focuses on two issues:
Evolution of water quantity/quality and associated flows (chemical elements, sediments) in mountain areas under climate change (hydrological functioning, stock, recharge, chemical quality, dynamics, etc.)
Health of soils and forests facing numerous disturbances and their sustainability (decrease in soil fertility, hydric stress, heat waves, silvicultural exploitation, development of xylophagous insects, storms, etc.)
The missions of OHGE are:
- to be an observatory of mid-mountain forest ecosystems and to make available the acquired data,
- to act as an academic study field and educational resource (from elementary school to university)
- provide operational support for scientific studies, to test new tracers, models, methodologies and tools....
- to be a tool for scientific communication for schools and the general public,
- être un outil de communication, dissémination des résultats scientifiques vers les différents acteurs du territoire (citoyens, élus, partenaires, associations….). Un lien science/société.
- to be a tool for conservation and archiving of natural samples (water, soil, rocks, sediment, deep cores, plants…).
Key issues and how the observatory will help to tackle them
The key issues are the preservation of water and forests in mid-mountain areas, particularly in the face of human activity (climate change, atmospheric pollution, forestry).
The OHGE samples, analyses and makes available more than 400 chemical analyses of water per year (rain, snow, springs, streams, soil solutions, borehole). It monitors, validates and archives meteorological, hydrological, pedological and geochemical data. The observatory is firmly rooted in the region through its local partners and communication initiatives. Multi-disciplinary research (geochemistry, pedology, hydrology, geophysics, modelling, sociology, philosophy, art) is carried out here, from the scale of the atom to that of the landscape, and for processes ranging from the second to the millennium. OHGE is part of regional, national, and international networks.
Since 2021, a large art-science-citizens project including artistic residency, educational actions (primary to high school), participatory science to monitor snow cover and sociologic workshops is underway in the local territory.