Environmental Change Network
Lead Research Organisation:
Rothamsted Research
Department Name: UNLISTED
Abstract
Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.
Technical Summary
The UK Environmental Change Network (ECN), established in 1992, monitors key components of environmental change and seeks to relate them to controlling factors such as land management. Rothamsted is a founding site of the ECN, and its ECN activities continue and extend the long-term monitoring that has always been part of its Classical and other long-term experiments. ECN measurements provide comprehensive data essential for quantifying environmental change and underpinning research at Rothamsted and elsewhere relevant to 'Living With Environmental Change'. ECN measurements contribute to and are augmented by SoilCIP ISPG research projects on carbon and greenhouse gas budgets and losses of nitrogen and phosphorus to waters. The ECN is connected to international environmental change monitoring projects, particularly the EU FP7 ALTERNET project.
Objectives:
1. To quantify environmental change and determine the factors controlling change within the UK Environmental Change Network.
2. To underpin environmental change projects studying the impacts of land management on carbon and other greenhouse gas emissions and losses of nitrogen and phosphorus to waters, and develop sustainable land management strategies.
Objectives:
1. To quantify environmental change and determine the factors controlling change within the UK Environmental Change Network.
2. To underpin environmental change projects studying the impacts of land management on carbon and other greenhouse gas emissions and losses of nitrogen and phosphorus to waters, and develop sustainable land management strategies.
Planned Impact
unavailable
People |
ORCID iD |
| Keith Goulding (Principal Investigator) | |
| Tony Scott (Co-Investigator) |
Publications
Monteith D
(2016)
Trends and variability in weather and atmospheric deposition at UK Environmental Change Network sites (1993-2012)
in Ecological Indicators
Rose R
(2016)
Evidence for increases in vegetation species richness across UK Environmental Change Network sites linked to changes in air pollution and weather patterns
in Ecological Indicators
Storkey J
(2015)
Grassland biodiversity bounces back from long-term nitrogen addition.
in Nature
Storkey J
(2016)
Large-Scale Ecology: Model Systems to Global Perspectives
| Description | This project has ended but the research continues in BBS/E/C/00005189. The research contributes to the UK Environmental Change Network (UKECN). The Network (12 terrestrial and over 40 freshwater sites) is co-funded by Defra, NERC (through CEH) and site owners such as BBSRC (Rothamsted and North Wyke), DSTL, etc. Unique findings at the Rothamsted site have been a clear 150-year climate change 'Hockey-Stick' graph, i.e. a steady and never-before seen increase in average annual temperature over the last 20 years. This is mostly due to warmer winters and only marginally to hotter summers, and the very high nitrogen deposition from the atmosphere; a result of locally high NOx pollution. The nature of the UKECN means that Rothamsted has contributed to research showing a clear redistribution of invertebrates in the UK towards the north and west, in line with predicted climate change. The site is also part of the unique socioeconomic assessment by Dick et al. (listed in the publications) using Millenium Ecosystem indicators, of the public value of the site: Rothamsted, although an agricultural research institute, has much of the value of open countryside because of its nework of paths and scattered woodland. |
| Exploitation Route | As noted above, for Defra policy and to inform the public on the natural environment and impacts on it of environmental, especially climate change. The information from the UKECN is extensively used by Defra to formulate policy and to explain the impacts of envieonmental, especially climate change. It is also an invaluable resource for public engagement over the natural environment, how it is changing and how we monitor change. |
| Sectors | Environment |
| URL | http://www.rothamsted.ac.uk/aen/ecn/ |
| Description | Data from the Rothamsted ECN site have contributed to an ECN report on climate change in the UK. Our particular contributions were: (1) The 150-year climate change 'Hockey-Stick' graph of mean annual temperatures shows a steady and never-before seen increase in average annual temperature over the last 20 years; (this is mostly due to warmer winters and only marginally to hotter summers). (2) Our invertebrate data contributed to research showing a clear redistribution of invertebrates in the UK towards the north and west, in line with predicted climate change. (3) The open nature of the site at Rothamsted, with bridleways and footpaths, encourages the public to learn about our research. Using Millenium Ecosystem indicators shows semi-quantitatively the public value of the site: Rothamsted, although an agricultural research institute, has much of the value of open countryside. In 2016, 20-year summaries of data from both the Rothamsted and North Wyke ECN sites were published, showing examples of the impacts of changing climate. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2012 |
| Sector | Agriculture, Food and Drink,Education,Environment,Healthcare,Leisure Activities, including Sports, Recreation and Tourism,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections |
| Impact Types | Cultural Societal |
| Title | eRA |
| Description | A new version of the Electronic Rothamsted Archive (eRA) has been launched: http://www3.rothamsted.ac.uk/cdera/extract/pages/data_extraction_prototype6.html. It includes: data from the North Wyke Farm Platform; open access data on yields for the Broadbalk and Hoosfield long-term (>150 years) experiments; plant species data for Park Grass; soil organic carbon trends; meteorological data; 3300 reports, maps and plans, which will be given DOIs and made publically available. |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2014 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | eRA has been delivering data to enquirers for many years with a steadily increasing demand: 73 users in 2010/11 and 120 users in 2015/15. The new version of eRA was launched in 2014. |
| URL | http://www3.rothamsted.ac.uk/cdera/extract/pages/data_extraction_prototype6.html |
| Description | COSMOS: COsmic ray Soil Moisture Observing System UK |
| Organisation | UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | We have become one of the UK's host sites for COSMOS, a nationwide network to systematically measure soil moisture and other environmental variables such as weather, soil temperature and solar radiation. |
| Start Year | 2014 |
| Description | Park Grass, a Genomic Observatory |
| Organisation | Laboratoire Ampere |
| Country | France |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | Park Grass has been registered as a 'genomic observatory', defined as "an ecosystem and/or site subject to long-term scientific research, including (but not limited to) the sustained study of genomic biodiversity from single-celled microbes to multicellular organisms." Full details at: http://www.genomicobservatories.org/ |
| Start Year | 2012 |
| Description | A special session of the 'Planet Under Pressure' conference to present, discuss and publicise issues of the sustainability of soils |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | The importance of soils, soil science and better soil management was communicated to the hundreds of people (academics, policy makers, the public) who attended the 'Planet Under Pressure' international conference. Grater media interests in soils and sustainable soil management |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2012 |
| URL | http://www.planetunderpressure2012.net/ |
| Description | Inclusion of the experiments, archive and e-RA details in the UK Soils Observatory |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Participants in your research or patient groups |
| Results and Impact | The UK Soils Observatory was launched in April 2014. It brings together maps, data and publications on UK soils. The long-term experiments, sample archive and e-RA database are now available through the UKSO under the category of observatories. The UK Soils Observatory (UKSO) provides a unified starting point for accessing UK soils data and underpinning research (with the specific objective of providing these data for free where possible). The UKSO project will acquire new data, harmonise licensing, develop access software, and ensure data interoperability to improve the clarity and ease-of-use of our national and region soil-data resources. Website with database: no actual impacts realised to date |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
| URL | http://www.UKSO.org |
| Description | International Year of Soils |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The Sample Archive and soil cores from the long-term experiments were exhibited as part the activities at the Rothamsted International Year of Soils event on May 17-18, 2015. Positive comments about the event were received from visitors, including Professor Sir Martyn Poliakoff CBE FRS, Vice President of the Royal Society. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |