High-resolution Carbon cycling data from 2019 to 2021 measured at six Austrian LTER sites

Abstract. Seven long-term observation sites have been established in six regions across Austria, covering major ecosystem types such as forests, grasslands and wetlands across a wide bioclimatic range. The purpose of these observations is to measure key ecosystem parameters serving as baselines for assessing the impacts of extreme climate events on the carbon cycle. The data sets collected include meteorological variables, soil microclimate, CO₂ fluxes and tree stem growth, all recorded at high temporal resolution between 2019 and 2021 (including one year of average climate conditions and two comparatively dry years). The DOIs of the dataset can be found in the data availability chapter. The sites will be integrated into the European Research Infrastructure for Integrated European Long-Term Ecosystem, Critical Zone, and Socio-Ecological Research (eLTER RI). Subsequently, new data covering the variables presented here will be continuously available through its data integration portal. This step will allow the data to reach its full potential for research on drought-related ecosystem carbon cycling.