Twenty-eight research sites constitute the LTER Network at present
The geographic distribution of sites ranges from Alaska to Antarctica and from the Caribbean to French Polynesia. It includes agricultural lands, alpine tundra, barrier islands, coastal lagoons, cold and hot deserts, coral reefs, estuaries, forests, freshwater wetlands, grasslands, kelp forests, lakes, open ocean, savannas, streams and urban landscapes.
LTER Network announcements
- All are welcome to contribute ideas and/or participate in the ILTER Spring 2026 Coordinating Committee teleconference, which will take place on Wednesday, April 29, from 12:00 to 14:00 UTC. The post Help shape the ILTER Open Science Conference! appeared first on LTER.
- The 2026 Natural Areas Conference: Where Science Meets Stewardship is scheduled for October 5 – 8, 2026, in Asheville, NC. NAC26 is a great opportunity for LTER Network research scientists to share their work with practitioners—and to discuss use-inspired collaborations. NAA’s conference is by practitioners for practitioners, offering access to quality science, new knowledge, and experience-based practices that bridge… […]
- The data produced at LTER sites inform many important challenges. Among-site comparisons help to understand how general ecological mechanisms change with local context. Modeling and forecasting efforts employ long term observations and experiments to generate testable predictions. Scaling exercises get at continental or even global interactions with human and economic consequences. LTER synthesis working groups… […]
- In 2026, LTER launches a rescoped version of the synthesis skills course (SSECR) that we debuted in 2024 that is 100% online and open for all to apply. Deadline: March 31. The post 2026 Synthesis Skills Course Opens appeared first on LTER.
LTER events
- July 8, 2026 – 9:00 am-10:00 am (PT) | Are you a new graduate student, undergraduate, investigator, or staff member at an LTER site? After you get settled into your local site, join us to learn about the integrative science and opportunities that being part of a national network can open up. The LTER network […]
- May 6, 2026 – 9:00 am-10:00 am (PT) | The 2026 LTER strategic plan clarifies the types of science which take best advantage of LTER's assets and approach. But developing the next generation of LTER science demands the involvement of the whole LTER+ community. We invite researchers and students—inside and outside the Network—to help brainstorm […]
- April 24, 2026 – 12:00 pm-1:15 pm (PT) | Organized by and for LTER Graduate Students, but all are welcome! Everyone is encouraged to join us on April 24th for flash talks from graduate students across the LTER network! This event will be a great opportunity to learn more about exciting research happening at other […]
LTER news
- “Science and data collection doesn’t always have to have flashy gizmos and light speed computers… Methodology, consistency, simple tools and flexible minds are gold in the field. Get out there!” The post Clotheslines, Hair Ties, and Tape Measures: Low Tech Tools for the Win appeared first on LTER.
- Sometimes, the best way to understand an ecosystem is simply to stop and listen. The post Voices of the Forest: Frog Bio-acoustics in the LUQ-LTER appeared first on LTER.
- All are welcome to contribute ideas and/or participate in the ILTER Spring 2026 Coordinating Committee teleconference, which will take place on Wednesday, April 29, from 12:00 to 14:00 UTC. The post Help shape the ILTER Open Science Conference! appeared first on LTER.
- Students engaged in a productive struggle to come to terms with what data needed to be graphed before they could answer the questions. The post What have sea urchins got to do with climate change? appeared first on LTER.
- As a native of Santa Barbara, I grew up exploring the tidepools, splashing in the waves, and kayaking the waters that are now part of the Santa Barbara Coastal-LTER. Now, thanks to the ARETs program, I am better equipped to share my knowledge about this special area with my students. The post Returning Home to […]
- LIFE UNEARTHED with Ariel Waldman is a visually striking science-driven docu-series that reveals Earth’s ecosystems through radical shifts in scale—from microscopic wildlife to the planet’s most iconic species, and even the potential for life beyond Earth. Hosted by explorer Ariel Waldman, the series spans environments near and far, from the sweeping American Prairies to the alien… […]