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Environmental Change
Network
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LinksThis page provides links to a number of UK and International organisations associated with or relevant to ECN. It also provides web links to other sources of information on environmental change; these sites are not connected with ECN.
Please contact Susannah Rennie if you would like to suggest any additions to this list.
Organisations and Programmes Associated with ECN
ECN has fourteen sponsoring organisations. Each of which provide one or more sites and covers the costs of ECN measurements at those sites. ALTER-Net is a European network of mainly research organisations which aims to integrate biodiversity research capacity across Europe. ALTER-Net began as a "Network of Excellence" funded by the EU's 6th Framework Programme, and is now self-financed by its member organisations. The Centre for Ecology and Hydrology holds a large array of nationally and internationally important hydrological, terrestrial and freshwater environmental data. ECN has been the science partner in the Climate Change Explorer project. Visit the CCE website to see creative work exploring climate change. Countryside Survey is a unique study or ‘audit’ of the natural resources of the UK’s countryside. It has been carried out at regular intervals since 1978, allowing scientists to detect the gradual and subtle changes that occur in the UK’s countryside over time. In 2007, the latest in this UK-wide series of Surveys is taking place. This site aims to encourage interest in Irish ground beetles. It provides illustrations of the species and distribution maps. It is intended to act as a stimulus to further recording of ground beetles in Ireland by providing a resource which makes these little-studied animals more accessible to interested amateurs, biological recorders, school biology classes and the general public. A report to identify a set of indicators which could be used to monitor how the climate of the United Kingdom is changing and how it may be affecting aspects of our lives and natural environment. ECN are able to provide data for many of these variables. Representatives of scientific programs or networks that focus on ecological research over long temporal and large spatial scales have formed this network to explore the value of international exchange. LTER-Europe is the European regional network of ILTER. A UK research programme concerning the biological diversity of soil biota and the functional roles played by soil organisms in key ecological processes. A preparatory action within ENRICH (European Network for Research in Global Change) which aimed to provide a focus for the co-ordination of existing long-term integrated monitoring site schemes and ensure maximum coherence of data and information products on a European scale. The Butterfly Monitoring Scheme (BMS) was set up in 1976 to provide information on changes in the abundance of butterflies at selected monitored sites throughout the United Kingdom. The BMS has now merged with Butterfly Conservation's co-ordination of 'independent' transects. The resulting UKBMS dataset is an important resource for understanding changes in insect populations. The ECN terrestrial sites form part of the BMS. A project to monitor and evaluate changes to nature's events (for example is spring getting earlier?) and assess how it is affecting wildlife. The network needs assistance in helping it to record nature's calendar and welcomes your observations.
Environmental Monitoring Organisations
AMAP's objectives are to measure the levels, and assess the effects of anthropogenic pollutants in all compartments of the Arctic environment, including humans. The Ecological Monitoring and Assessment Network is comprised of approximately 100 research and monitoring sites in Canada and is organised into 14 terrestrial Ecological Science Co-operatives. CERN is an ecosystem research network which consists of 29 field stations, throughout China, covering the fields of agriculture, forest, grassland, lake and marine ecosystems. The aim of the Ecological Continuity Trust is to initiate and maintain long-term experiments that are specifically designed to help future generations understand and manage ecological change. The Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (EMAP) is a research program to develop the tools necessary to monitor and assess the status and trends of USA ecological resources A global, long term CO2 flux measuring network The overall objective of GT-Net is to better understand global and regional change by linking existing terrestrial observation networks. GTOS mission is to provide policy makers, resource managers and researchers with the data they need to detect, quantify, locate and understand changes (especially reductions) in the capacity of terrestrial ecosystems to support sustainable development. The Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme is an interdisciplinary programme of research and training intended to develop the basis, within the natural and the social sciences, for the rational use and conservation of the resources of the biosphere, and for the improvement of the global relationship between people and the environment. With an initial set of six sites selected in 1980, the National Science Foundation established the Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) Program to support research on long-term ecological phenomena in the United States. The present program consists of 20 sites representing diverse ecosystems and research emphases and a co-ordination or network office.
Environmental Data on the Internet
The role of the BADC is to assist UK atmospheric researchers to locate, access and interpret atmospheric data and to ensure the long-term integrity of atmospheric data produced by NERC projects. The BADC has substantial data holdings of its own and also provides information and links to data held by other data centres. Buxton Climate Change Impacts Laboratory (BCCIL), part of NERC Scientific Services, is a national field laboratory for climate change experiments at Buxton, Derbyshire. The Climatic Research Unit is concerned with the study of natural and anthropogenic climate change. It has developed a number of the datasets including the global temperature record used to monitor the state of the climate system, as well as statistical software packages and climate models. The Countryside Information System (CIS) is a Microsoft Windows-based program developed to give policy advisers, planners and researchers easy access to spatial information about the British countryside. Earthshots is a collection of Landsat images and text, designed to show environmental changes and to introduce remote sensing. Images from other satellites, maps, and photographs are also included. A database of European institutions and experts working in the area of sustainable development. NASA's Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) is a comprehensive directory of descriptions of data sets of relevance to global change research. The GCMD database includes descriptions of data sets covering climate change, the biosphere, hydrosphere and oceans, geology, geography, and human dimensions of global change. Jointly funded by the United Kingdom Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the United Kingdom Meteorological Office, the Hadley Centre aims to provide an authoritative, up-to-date assessment of both natural and man-made climate change. The Hadley Centre holds a number of historical temperature records including the Monthly Central England Temperature record. This monthly series, which begins in 1659, is the longest available instrumental record of temperature in the world. The database contains data on the environment of Scotland, focusing wherever possible on changes over time. The issues covered include climate change, air and water quality, land use, waste and wildlife. The National Biodiversity Network (UK) is designed to provide a link between the use of wildlife information to its collection. This will allow individuals and organisations to apply available information and influence future collection. TEMS is an international directory of meta-data about monitoring stations and their activities. TEMS not only provides sources of meta-data on ecological monitoring sites to scientists and decision makers: it also allows GTOS and GCOS to identify existing sites and to analyse potential gaps in coverage of critical variables, and thus work towards enhancing those sites that need upgrading and establishing new sites if and where necessary. UKLakes (formerly GBLakes) is a database derived from digital map data and holds a wide range of environmental information about lakes, loughs and lochs - including all of the ECN lake sites. The UK Meteorological Office provide a range of data services, including MORECS - (Met. Office Rainfall and Evaporation Calculation System) which provides weekly statistics based on 40km x 40km grid squares or individual recording sites. A source for air pollution data and information. This site provides a summary of the current air pollution as well as forecasts for all ten regions of the UK. The WCMC maintains a large and varied collection of databases concerning nature conservation. It is beginning to make this information available through the Internet. The World Meteorological Organization coordinates global scientific activity to allow increasingly prompt and accurate weather information and other services for public, private and commercial use, including international airline and shipping industries.
A group of European schools (from the Arctic to the Mediterranean) monitoring climate and the first appearance of twelve selected butterflies. The schools have agreed a common stroll and spot based on the Pollard method to record butterfly appearance. They also provide climate and plant data. The educational section of the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology web site. It cover topics such as acid rain, the greenhouse effect and the ecological importance of hedgerows. ECN has been the science partner in the Climate Change Explorer project. Visit the CCE website to see creative work exploring climate change. Information about global warming. Designed by the Macaulay Institute, this toolkit is designed to look at the reasons that Scotland's land is changing. It also explores examples of alternative uses of land such as planting native woodland and building wind farms. The Environment Agency's educational pages provide a number of environmental games and animations, which also help you learn about the environment at the same time. Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) is a world-wide network of students, teachers, and scientists working together to study and understand the global environment. GLOBE students make a core set of environmental observations at or near their schools and report their data via the Internet. Scientists use GLOBE data in their research and provide feedback to the students to aid their science education. There are a number of UK schools active in the GLOBE program (see above). The Meteorological Office educational pages have been designed to aid teachers and pupils in extending their understanding and knowledge of weather and climate in the UK and around the world by providing background information, data and worksheets. The Northern Ireland network for learning. It is an online learning environment that combines a collection of services developed to support learning, teaching and education management in Northern Ireland. SAPS works with teachers to develop new resources and to promote and support exciting teaching of plant science and molecular biology in schools and colleges. Contains material that is directly relevant to school science and up-to-date applications of science in industry. Virtual Montana is a project that develops materials for the teaching of Geography. Focusing on mountain environments, Virtual Montana aims to provide material to support fieldwork carried out in remote upland areas. The first ever online UK woodlouse survey. An opportunity for schools, clubs or individuals to explore biodiversity on their own doorstep.
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