Monitoring, experimentation and modelling

Underpinning UKCEH's research and innovation are large research infrastructures and our capabilities in monitoring and measuring, experimentation, and data science. To ensure UKCEH continues to deliver world-class research and innovation, we will invest in and develop these capabilities.

Our capabilities

Monitoring, measuring and observation

We provide flexible, long-term, large-scale monitoring and surveillance networks essential to quantify past and current environmental status. These networks allow us to identify and measure change, and determine the factors that modulate that change.

Experimental platforms and research facilities

Our facilities enable us to test the role of different drivers of environmental change and the outcomes of novel interventions to manage the environment. We provide and operate experimental platforms and research infrastructures supporting national and international collaborations, from sustainable farming platforms to aquatic mesocosms to climate change experiments.

Data science for analytics, forecasting and projection

UKCEH has developed models to forecast and predict aspects of the environment at different spatial and temporal scales. They include models of national and international importance for air quality forecasting; GHG emissions inventories; land cover and crop mapping; the UK's sole Land Surface model; nationwide, real-time flood forecasting; and water resource outlooks.

Image gallery

Click through each photo below to see some of our monitoring sites and equipment.

Photo by Ian Leith. Auchencorth Moss is one of the UK's measurement supersites for monitoring air pollution. It is a regional station within the World Meteorological Organisation's Global Atmosphere Watch programme.

Aerial view of the UKCEH solardome facility in north Wales. Photo by Daniel Hauck.

Working inside one of UKCEH's solardomes. Photo by Daniel Hauck.

The UKCEH aquatic mesocosm facility includes a number of isolated tanks ideal for experiments under controlled conditions. Photo by Heidrun Feuchtmayr.

Instruments on a COSMOS-UK soil moisture monitoring station in the field. This station is located at Balruddery in Perthshire.

The stable isotopes laboratory at UKCEH's Lancaster site.

UKCEH has an ARC boat used for river surveys, including flow and depth measurements.

Our facility at Clocaenog in north Wales is one of the longest running climate change experiments in the UK, and is also part of a European climate change manipulation network. Photo by Eleonora Fitos.

One of UKCEH's drones, used in remote sensing to extract various data.

Stevenson screen at the UKCEH meteorological station at Wallingford. The site has been operated since 1962. Data are submitted regularly to the Met Office as part of the UK national Climatological Station Network.