International LTER Activities at Coweeta LTER

Investigators in the Coweeta LTER program have long enjoyed a productive relationship with international scientists. Collaborations and exchanges occur at a variety of levels including:

1. Scientific field tours by international visitors to Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory
2. Short-term (weeks) scientist exchanges between the United States and other countries
3. Sabbatical leave (months) for both Coweeta investigators overseas and for international scientists at Coweeta
4. Research projects located outside of the United States by Coweeta investigators that are funded by a variety of sources.

Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory hosts on average 1,427 visitors in 57 groups each year. Of these, approximately 40 visitors in 10 groups are international scientists with primary interests in watershed ecology, biogeochemistry, terrestrial carbon dynamics, and aquatic ecology. Field tours of research sites and techniques, distribution of publication reprints, discussion of long-term trends in data sets, and discussion of forest and riparian management practices comprise most of the field tour activities.

Long-term housing is available at Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory for visiting scientists who wish to conduct studies while on sabbatical leave. Scientists who collaborate with colleagues at the University of Georgia, Virginia Tech, or other institutions in the Coweeta LTER program may also conduct field work at Coweeta while processing samples and analyzing data in the university lab of their colleague.

In addition, numerous current (1998 to present) studies are being led by Coweeta LTER investigators with frequent collaboration by scientists in the host country (see table below). Funding is from a variety of sources including host universities, the World Bank, the USDA Forest Service, and the National Science Foundation. Coweeta investigators have found these international collaborations to be productive, a rich source of learning by all investigators involved, and the source of enjoyable and long-term friendships with international colleagues.