FTOD
FTO Duurzaamheid
FTO Duurzaamheid connects existing and new applied research facilities focusing on climate, greenhouse gases, and air quality. Laboratory and experimental facilities provide understanding of the causes and effects of emissions and the interactions between soil, water and atmosphere, enabling development of integrated approaches for reducing emissions and mitigating impacts. In combination with sample collection, measurements, and remote sensing in a wide range of settings, FTO Duurzaamheid provides a nation-wide system of applied research facilities enabling some of the key challenges for the Netherlands, including sustainable farming, soil and water management, and the quality of life in cities.
Infrastructure and User Services
FTO Duurzaamheid includes three large scale laboratory and experimental facilities:
- Laboratory and mobile measurement facilities for research into the interactions involving greenhouse gases between soil, water, and atmosphere (Deltares);
- An autonomous cowshed for studies into emission-reduction and circular dairy farming (WUR-WLR Dairy Campus);
- An experimental field station that encompasses experimental ditches and ponds, and laboratories for research on the behaviour and effects of chemical substances in the environment as well as for more basic ecological research questions (WUR-WENR Sinderhoeve);
The infrastructure links the experimental facilities with advanced in-situ measurement and remote sensing infrastructure:
- The Cabauw atmospheric research station, providing an unique collocation of wide range of continuous in-situ observations and ground-based remote sensing (KNMI, TNO);
- A network stations for measurements of air quality and greenhouse gases in Rotterdam (TNO, RIVM);
- A mobile measurement facility (TNO).
These last three are also part of Ruisdael Observatory.
FTOD connects to other infrastructures through pilots and demonstrations:
- FTO eDentity: A DNA metabarcoding facility for rapid identification and monitoring of biodiversity (Naturalis);
- Airborne platforms (NLR, KNMI)
- North Sea observations (TNO, KNMI)
- Earth observation satellites (KNMI)
Services to users include (contracted) research and access to facilities for the experimental sites, and for several of the facilities services extend to the testing of new instruments, use of instruments in specific modes of operation, measurement campaigns, intercomparisons, deployment of the mobile site, use of data, user support as well as training.
Examples/description of the type of research
FTO Duurzaamheid enables three thematic areas of applied research: climate change and greenhouse gases, air quality and health, and nature and biodiversity. The research focuses on understanding the relevant mechanisms, processes and interactions, development and optimization of mitigation strategies, including methodology and tools to assess and evaluate the effects and impacts.
In the area of greenhouse gases the infrastructure facilitates the research on attribution of emission sources and sinks and the development and evaluation of approaches for reducing emissions and sequestration. More specifically, the infrastructure facilitates applied research into reduction of methane emissions in dairy farming, reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the context of soil and water management, and measurement and monitoring of the atmosphere for attribution of sources and sinks of emissions across multiple spatio-temporal scales to study the effects of natural events or human interventions on the climate system.
In the area of air quality and health the infrastructure provides highly relevant measurements on a local to the national scale, and provides opportunities for research into identification of known sources of pollution, with the possibility to extend the infrastructure to include detection and identification of new or previously undetected pollutants. Long-term measurement records enable monitoring of progress and effectiveness of measures to reduce air pollution and provide insights on how air quality impacts health and quality of life.
The infrastructure enables field-scale research into the linkages between biodiversity and climate change, specifically the processes that drive the carbon and nitrogen cycles and their interactions with the ecosystem.
How to access the infrastructure?
FTO Duurzaamheid has not (yet) established a common access mechanism. The FTOD partners are committed to harmonizing the access regime. The FTO Duurzaamheid facilities belonging to Ruisdael Observatory are open for use by the research community at large. If access requests are made in the framework of an ERIC, the procedures agreed in these contexts are followed. In other cases, a fee can be applied to accommodate the access. For the tariff structure, the systematics and levels of fees established for the ERICs are followed, in order to create a level playing field among the European infrastructures.