EXPERIMENTAL DITCHES FOR RESEARCH UNDER NATURAL CONDITIONS

With the construction of twenty experimental ditches human impact on e cosystems can be studied under controllable but real-field situations and natural conditions. The facility allows for ecotoxicological exper iments and eutrophication research. The plant has been designed with m aximum flexibility for future studies. Meteorological data are recorde d in an automatic weather station of Campbell Scientific Ltd (Shepshed , Leicestershire, U.K.). Acidity, oxygen concentration and water tempe rature are measured continuously in the ditches with sensors of WTW (W eilheim, Germany). The data are retrieved from a datalogger system usi ng personal computers provided with modems and specific software. The experiments in the ditches are in full progress and the results will b e published separately.