In particular, they are examining how ground-covering vegetation affects soil moisture and what role it plays in sequestering soil carbon and in soil formation. The Zwillenberg-Tietz Foundation is funding the research project for the next three years.
“An understanding of the complex interplay of factors in forest ecosystems is necessary for assessing the development, stability, and resilience of forest soils,” says Prof. Dr. Steffen Seitz of the Osnabrück University. Multi-year measurement series and continuous monitoring of ecohydrological soil and vegetation parameters could make a significant contribution to this understanding. In his study, the professor of physical geography is supported by Dr. Maik Veste, a partner at the Brandenburg Center for Energy Technology, and by Prof. Dr. Thomas Scholten of the University of Tübingen.
The project builds on a research initiative completed in 2025 at the University of Tübingen, which specifically investigated water availability in forest soils and the influence of mosses. As part of this work, several climate and soil monitoring stations were established, which will now continue to operate thanks to the funding. The goal is to establish a long-term dataset on soil moisture and soil formation in pine forests.
The project focuses on the interaction between the water balance and ground-covering vegetation in pine forests. At the Linde research station in Brandenburg, microclimatic data are collected at ten-minute intervals. These measurements are used to generate long-term data series. “This will also allow us to record and account for the highly variable precipitation fluctuations now caused by climate change,” explains Prof. Seitz. Until now, many measurements have been carried out only over limited time periods and without long-term planning. The new project aims to close this gap.
In addition, student projects will be carried out in Linde, and thesis topics will be assigned to students. As part of this effort, soil samples will be collected and key parameters describing the topsoil and its development will be recorded in the Physical Geography Laboratory in Osnabrück. “In the process, students acquire fundamental knowledge on determining pH values, grain size distributions, organic matter content, and nutrient distribution in forest soils. The data obtained in this way will be directly incorporated into the description of the soils under pine forest stands,” said Seitz.
Further information for the media:
Prof. Dr. Steffen Seitz, Osnabrück University
Institute of Geography
