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Dataset containing meiobenthos data for samples collected during the September 2008 Sesame Cruise in the North-West Black Sea on board of the Romanian R/V Mare Nigrum. Meiobenthos samples were collected in 5 stations, using a multicorer MARK II-400. The dataset includes 5 samples analysed for meiobenthos species composition, abundance and biomass.The entire washed sample was analyzed under the binocular stereomicroscope. Meiobenthic species were identified and enumerated; some meiobenthic species were identified and enumerated only at higher taxonomic level. Taxonomic identification was done at GEOECOMAR.

The timing of diel stem growth of mature forest trees is still largely unknown, as empirical data with high temporal resolution have not been available so far. Consequently, the effects of day-night conditions on tree growth remained uncertain. Here we present the first comprehensive field study of hourly-resolved radial stem growth of seven temperate tree species, based on 57 million underlying data points over a period of up to 8 years. We show that trees grow mainly at night, with a peak after midnight, when the vapour pressure deficit (VPD) is among the lowest. A high VPD strictly limits radial stem growth and allows little growth during daylight hours, except in the early morning. Surprisingly, trees also grow in moderately dry soil when the VPD is low. Species-specific differences in diel growth dynamics show that species able to grow earlier during the night are associated with the highest number of hours with growth per year and the largest annual growth increment. We conclude that species with the ability to overcome daily water deficits faster have greater growth potential. Furthermore, we conclude that growth is more sensitive than carbon uptake to dry air, as growth stops before stomata are known to close.

Monitoring of plant succession in glacier forelands so far has been restricted to field sampling. In this study, in situ vegetation sampling along a chronosequence between Little Ice Age (LIA) maximum extent and the recent glacier terminus at Jamtalferner/Silvretta (ferner is a Tyrolian toponym for glacier) is compared to time series of the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) calculated from 13 Landsat scenes (1985-2016). The glacier terminus positions at 16 dates between the LIA maximum and 2015 were analysed from historical maps, orthophotos and LiDAR images and used for site age determination. We sampled plots of different time since deglaciation, from very recent to approx. 150 years: after 100 years, roughly 80% of the ground is covered by plants and ground cover did not increase essentially thereafter. Species number increases from 10-20 species on young sites to 40-50 species after 100 years. The NDVI increases for all plots between 1985 and 2016, from a mean of 0.11 for 1985-1991 to 0.2 in 2009 and 0.27 in 2016. For the plots deglaciated between 1 and about 150 years, the NDVI increases with the time of exposure. As the increase in ground cover is clearly reproduced by the NDVI (R² ground cover/NDVI 0.84) - even for sparsely vegetated areas -, we see a high potential of satellite-borne NDVI to perform regional characterizations of glacier forelands for hydrological, ecological and hazard management related applications. This data collection comprises the galcier outlines, NDVIs and chronosequencing locations with diversity and ground cover data.