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Environmental Change
Network
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ECN
Core Measurements
The measurements
made by ECN cover a wide range of physical, chemical and biological 'driving
and response' variables identified as being important for the assessment of
environmental change. The suite of variables is measured at ECN
sites using published,
standard protocols. A fuller
explanation of the measurements ECN makes, including the reasons why they
were included in the suite of measurements, is also
available.
This page provides a summary of the core measurements made at ECN's:
Terrestrial
Site Measurements
- Meteorology (MA, MM)
- Automatic weather station: 13
variables summarised hourly.
- Manual measurements: 14 variables measured daily at
0900 GMT
- Atmospheric chemistry (AN)
Nitrogen dioxide (NO2, parts per billion) passive
diffusion tubes chemistry. Two-weekly analyses
- Precipitation chemistry (PC)
UK Precipitation Composition Network protocol:
14 chemical variables analysed weekly.
- Surface water discharge, chemistry and quality (WD, WC)
- Continuous
discharge measurements (summarised every 15 minutes)
- Weekly dip samples for 15 chemical variables
- Soil solution chemistry (SS)
Replicated suction lysimeters at base of a &
b horizons. Two-weekly samples for 15 chemical variables
- Soil properties (S)
- Initial Survey at 1:10 000 or 1:25 000.
-
Five-yearly monitoring (SF) from cores for major ions
-
20-yearly monitoring (SC) from soil pits for major
ions, heavy
metals and physical properties
- Vegetation (V)
- Whole site baseline survey with up to 500 systematic 2m x 2m plots. Species
presence related to the National Vegetation Classification (NVC);
- Coarse-grain survey, 50 random 2m x 2m grid plots surveyed every nine years.
Species presence recorded
in each of the 25 40cm x 40cm cells of the plot. Where plots fall in woodland, seedlings, dbh,
height and dominance are recorded within a surrounding 10m x 10m plot.
- Fine-grain survey, at least 2 10m x 10m plots randomly selected within each NVC type surveyed every three
years. Species presence recorded in 40cm x 40cm cells.
- In addition: linear features, permanent grass and cereals
- Vertebrates (B)
- Birds: annual counts by species using UK British
Trust for Ornithology methodology
- Rabbits and deer: dropping counts on transects
- Bats: mapping of species and behaviour on transects
- Frogs: monitoring spawn development and pond environment
- Invertebrates (I)
- Moths: counts by species, nightly. ECN sites form part of the Rothamsted Insect Survey
light-trapping network.
- Butterflies: two-weekly based on UK Butterfly
Monitoring Scheme methodology
- Spittle bugs: nymph density and adult colour morphs annually
- Ground predators: (beetles and harvestmen): two-weekly
- Tipulid larvae extracted from soil cores in April and September
- Site Management
Records of management activities at the site.
Freshwater
Site Measurements
- Surface water chemistry and quality (FWC)
- Dip samples analysed for major ions -
weekly for rivers, fortnightly for
lakes.
-
Continuous pH, temperature, conductivity and turbidity recording at some
sites.
-
Temperature & dissolved oxygen profiles for lakes
- Surface water discharge (FWD)
Continuous stage and discharge at river sites
- Macro-Invertebrates (FIN)
Species presence and abundance:
3 times per year at river and lake sites
- Aquatic Macrophytes (FMA)
Species presence, abundance and distribution:
annually for rivers, every 2 years for lakes
- Zooplankton (FZP)
Species presence and abundance:
fortnightly sampling at lake sites only
- Phytoplankton (FPP)
- Species presence and abundance:
fortnightly sampling at lake sites only
- Chlorophyll a: Weekly for rivers, fortnightly for lakes.
- Epilithic Diatoms (FDT)
Samples archived for future analysis: Sampling at
river and lake sites 3 times per year.
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