ESF Programme SIBAE

Stable Isotopes in Biospheric-Atmospheric Exchange

The implementation of stable isotopes as a tool in the field of environmental research was realized in Europe before the establishment of the ESF programme SIBAE only by isolated groups for some specific scientific questions. With the SIBAE programme (2002–2007), a functional and unifying mechanism was brought into effect to innervate the application of stable isotopes with focus to biospheric-atmospheric gas exchange. Defined as its main objectives were: the provision of a platform for European isotope research, the initiation of new research activities crossing discipline boundaries, to offer means for the exchange and the dissemination of knowledge (i.e., exchange visits, workshops, short courses, summer schools, conferences), to provide training opportunities for young researchers, and finally to tighten the cooperation with researchers from the US sister programme BASIN (Biospheric-Atmospheric Stable Isotope Network).

To focus the endeavour, all activities within the ESF programme SIBAE were related to at least one of three superimposed research topics: ‘Understanding stable isotopic signals of the terrestrial biosphere’, ‘Partitioning net fluxes into their component fluxes’ and ‘Interpreting spatial and temporal variability of terrestrial and atmospheric isotopic signals’. In particular the research carried out during the exchange visits (35 grants were donated to 36 grantees by the SIBAE programme for 1–6 months duration) brought new, detailed insights into specific topics of these themes and training opportunities for the young scientists. The main aim of the short course and the spring school was to communicate stable isotopes as a tool for biospheric-atmospheric research and to attract young investigators for this field. In contrast; the six workshops were addressed to special foci and the two joint conferences organized by SIBAE-BASIN were geared to discuss the application of stable isotopes in the biospheric-atmospheric field by reflecting ideas from all three focal themes. The conferences (‘Partitioning Fluxes between Biosphere and Atmosphere across Spatial Scales’ in Interlaken, Switzerland, April 2004, and ‘Isotopes as Tracers of Ecological Change’ in Tomar, Portugal, March 2006) were attended by about 250 international researchers, with a highly welcome participation of young scientists.

The ESF programme SIBAE became well known in the European but also in the global scientific community for its progressive and prosperous activities. The visibility of the programme by contributions to conferences was one aspect, the long list of publications related to SIBAE topics can be seen as another indicator for its broad publicity. With its project homepage, the ESF programme SIBAE had been communicated also to the interested non-scientific audience. Since this homepage has been closed by now, please download the PDF file with all the Download info (PDF, 1.2 MB).

The ESF programme SIBAE can now look back at five years of big success that was made possible by the engaged contributions of all participants. In particular by the exchange visits, the combination of experience transfer and research, enhanced insights into specific research questions could be achieved, as well as new initiatives started. The tightening of the network was as successful as the spread of knowledge over discipline boundaries and the attraction of new research groups for the application of stable isotopes. SIBAE activities could show and communicate that stable isotopes are key components within studies facing the environment and global change; and the ESF programme SIBAE provided an excellent base for necessary subsequent programmes, for example for the COST Action ES806 that followed.