How to contribute data

The background of this website is our scientific interest in understanding the formation and predictive power of spatial patterns, of trees and other vegetation, in alpine treeline ecotones. By gathering information about the range of patterns observed and their distribution worldwide, we hope to come closer to understanding the drivers and processes that lead to the different patterns, and to be able to use these patterns to predict the type of change that is likely under different climate change scenarios.

If you have research data that you think will be helpful, please contact us to discuss how we can collaborate. One of our methods is pattern-oriented individual-based modelling, in which we would like to compare our output patterns with different types of observed patterns. These patterns may be spatial but also temporal and data may be field or remote-sensing based. Important is that the resolution of the data allows the detection of the patterns we are focussing on, so ideally single trees or at least groups of trees can be distinguished (for spatial patterns), while lower spatial resolutions may apply for temporal data.

Potentially helpful datasets include plot data with mapped trees (ideal, especially if tree sizes and ages are included), vegetation transects with cover and plant-height data for species or life forms, and time series showing changes (or a lack thereof) in treeline position and spatial pattern (if spatial pattern is not visible in the time series, e.g. due to the spatial resolution of the data, at least one dataset showing the spatial pattern at one point along the time series would be very helpful).