The paper is based on detailed surveys of 66 mountain summits distributed between the north of Europe and the southern Mediterranean sea. An international research group, led by the Austrian Academy of Sciences and the University of Vienna mapped all plant species at each site in 2001 and 2008 using the same standardised procedures.
The ECN Cairngorms site manager, Jan Dick from the NERC Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (CEH), was involved in the study.
Increasing species numbers were only found on summits of northern and central Europe. By contrast, species numbers were stagnating or declining at nearly all sites in the Mediterranean region.
Dr Harald Pauli, from the Global Observation Research Initiative in Alpine Environments (GLORIA), the study’s lead author, said, “Our results showing a decline at the Mediterranean sites is worrying because these are the mountains with a very unique flora and a large proportion of their species occur only there and nowhere else on Earth.”
"... a decline at the Mediterranean sites is worrying because these are the mountains with a very unique flora ..."
- Dr Harald Pauli, Institute of Mountain Research, Austrian Academy of Sciences
On summits further north in Europe, more plant species are prospering. This could be taken to indicate that these are much safer sites for alpine flowers. But Dr Michael Gottfried, from GLORIA’s coordination team said, “I'm afraid that this is not necessarily the case because the newly appearing plants are predominantly more widespread species from lower elevations and will pose increasing competition pressure on the rarer cold-loving alpine flowers.”
The uppermost tips of Mediterranean mountains are rather small patches of cold habitats, spread like islands over a sea of much warmer lowlands. Lowland areas, and the mountains are exposed to a characteristic dry season in summer. In the higher altitudes, precipitation mainly falls as snow during winter and spring, with snowmelt crucial for water supply of mountain plants during the arid growing season.
Dr Pauli added, “The observed species losses were most pronounced on the lower summits, where plants are expected to suffer earlier from water deficiency, than on the snowier high peaks. Climate warming and decreasing precipitation in the Mediterranean during the past decades fit well to the pattern of shrinking species occurrences. Much of the Mediterranean region is projected to become even dryer during the upcoming decades."
The Cairngorm catchment is in a pivotal position as its valuable long-term data is not only relevant to this alpine mountain study, but is also used as a research site for Arctic studies. For example, the site is part of the SCANNET network and the EU-funded INTERACT project.
[photo © CCW]
ECN Snowdon, 4th April. Bathed in glorious sunshine ...
[photo © CCW]
... and the same view one day later!
Challenging conditions made access to the site for routine monitoring and equipment difficult.
The images show very clearly just how rapidly weather conditions in the UK's hills and mountains can change. Anyone venturing into the hills needs to check the weather forecasts and be properly equipped.
]]>Using the ECN soil properties protocol, dynamics of soil properties within the forested plot were assessed every five years (1994–2009), by depth and by horizon to identify short term changes in soil carbon and nitrogen stocks, and acidity. The findings were set within a study of long term changes in soil properties in a 180 year chronosequence of oak plots from the same forest.
An increase was detected in soil carbon stocks in the mineral A horizon under the woodland, thought to be related to changes in litterfall and canopy insect activity. Soil nitrogen stock was found to increase with increasing canopy age under oak woodland. The researchers stress the value of setting short term soil monitoring within a long term (chronosequence) soil assessment.
]]>You can learn more about the measurements we make and also browse our collection of weekly photographs.
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| Looking towards the radar station on Great Dun Fell |
A snow bound access road |
(All photographs © 2012 Lucia Lencioni)
]]>The research is the first ever pan-European study of changing mountain vegetation. It was led by scientists from the Austrian Academy of Sciences and the University of Vienna and involved the ECN Cairngorms site manager, Jan Dick from the NERC Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (CEH).
“Many cold-loving species are literally running out of mountain. In some of the lower mountains in Europe, we could see alpine meadows disappearing and dwarf shrubs taking over within the next few decades”
- Michael Gottfried, GLORIA programme
Biologists from 13 different countries in Europe analysed 867 vegetation samples from 60 different summits sited in all major European mountain systems. This included four summits in the Cairngorms in Scotland, all within the ECN site. Samples were taken first in 2001 and then again in 2008.
The researchers found strong indications that, at a continental scale, cold-loving plants traditionally found in alpine regions are being pushed out of many habitats by warm-loving plants.
“We expected to find a greater number of warm-loving plants at higher altitudes, but we did not expect to find such a significant change in such a short space of time,” said Michael Gottfried from the Global Observation Research Initiative in Alpine Environments (GLORIA) programme which coordinated the study.
“Many cold-loving species are literally running out of mountain. In some of the lower mountains in Europe, we could see alpine meadows disappearing and dwarf shrubs taking over within the next few decades,” he warned.
The study, which is the largest and most comprehensive of its kind in the world, confirmed that there is a direct link between growing summer temperature and the shift in alpine plant composition. “While regional studies have previously made this link, this is the first time it has been shown on a continental scale,” said Gottfried. This phenomenon, which the GLORIA researchers have called thermophilization, has now been measured and quantified for the first time and is expressed by the researchers as a thermophilization indicator.
All 32 of the study’s authors used exactly the same sampling procedures and returned to the same sampling sites, thus enabling a pan-continental comparison to be made for the first time. “We hope that our thermophilization indicator could be used by other research groups around the world and enable a global comparison,” said Harald Pauli, GLORIA’s network coordinator.
The research also showed that the effect is independent of altitude (it is happening at the tree line as well as on high mountain peaks) and latitude (the effect is seen in northern countries such as Scotland as well as southern mountain ranges such those on Crete).
Our work shows that climate change affects even the outer edges of the biosphere,” said Georg Grabherr, chair of the GLORIA programme. “The thermophilization of alpine life zones can never be controlled directly. Adaptation strategies are not an option and we must concentrate on mitigating climate change in order to preserve our biogenetic treasure.”
The Cairngorm catchment is in a pivotal position as its valuable long-term data is not only relevant to this alpine mountain study, but is also used as a research site for Arctic studies. For example, the site is part of the SCANNET network and the EU-funded INTERACT project.
Wind speeds grew gradually throughout the day (figure 1), starting from near the average December wind speed of 18mph, to a peak of 80mph (hourly average speed) between 13:00 and 14:00; replacing the previous maximum recorded speed of 69mph set on the 12th January 2005. Gusts during the peak of the storm were recorded at speeds as high as 112mph.
Temperatures were not particularly cold for the time of year, just below freezing and only slightly below the December average (0.58°C), but with the wind chill factor, it would have felt considerably colder.
Figure 1: Hourly average wind speed recorded by the ECN Cairngorms weather station during 8 December 2011
At higher altitudes nearby the wind was even stronger, with speeds as high as 165mph being reported by the UK Meteorological Office for the weather station on Cairngorm summit (12km east and 545m higher at 1245m above sea level). This is the equivalent of a category 5 hurricane. Fortunately the 8th December was not a routine ECN sampling day! No ECN equipment was damaged by the winds.
The Cairngorms site is extremely exposed and windy but the conditions on 8 December were certainly exceptional, as the graph in figure 2 illustrates. Strong winds play a dominant role in shaping the short-clipped and lichen-dominated vegetation at the site. Recent research1 has investigated how changes in wind speed in the longer-term might influence the response of vegetation to climate warming in the region. The authors concluded that changes in wind speed need to be incorporated into models of species response to warming.
Figure 2: Annual average wind speeds recorded at the ECN monitoring site in the Cairngorms (the figure for 2011 is calculated on available data)
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The special issue Loch Leven: 40 years of scientific research is guest edited by Drs Linda May and Bryan Spears of the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (CEH) and collates scientific findings presented at a special symposium of lake researchers.
Loch Leven is one of CEH’s most important long-term monitoring sites, and is included in the Environmental Change Network. The research conducted at the site is significant not only for the health of the loch itself, which supplies a wide range of ecosystem services, but contributes to lake and catchment management strategies at other sites around the world. Ecological and chemical monitoring at the loch began in 1968.
All of the papers are currently available online and will also be published in a forthcoming special print edition of the journal.
Hydrobiologia journal (link to one paper ‘A history of scientific research at Loch Leven’, and related content).
]]>The Tour was first carried out in 1984, and has been repeated in 1991, 1995, 2000, 2005 and 2010. The work is carried out by scientists from the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology supported by staff from the Environment Agency, with funding from the Environment Agency and the Lake District National Park Authority.
The 2010 report notes that there are signs of improving water quality at Esthwaite Water, providing evidence for the effectiveness of reduced phosphorus inputs from a fish farm and a wastewater treatment works. In contrast, at other lakes such as Ennerdale Water, there has been a marked reduction in water transparency that is linked to small increases in the concentration of phytoplankton chlorophyll a.
The Tour results also identified relatively high concentrations of a pesticide, diazinon, in several lakes that are now being investigated by the Environment Agency to identify the cause and actions that need to be taken to reduce them.
Researchers from a large variety of research fields and topics are encouraged to apply. Some examples of potential themes and research areas can be found on the INTERACT website.
For full details, please visit the INTERACT website...
The ECN Moor House student placement scheme has been running since 1992 and provides an oppportunity for the selected undergraduate to gain a unique insight into environmental research and monitoring.
]]>The INTERACT program under EU FP7 has Transnational Access program that offers access to 18 research stations in Northernmost Europe and Russian Federation including:
The call for Transnational Access proposals is open until 31st August 2011 at 16:00 (+3GMT) at the INTERACT website http://www.eu-interact.org/
The Winter Season refers to the period Oct 2011–April 2012, with some variation depending on research station. The list of available field sites can be found from the INTERACT website.
The call also includes Summer Season 2012 (May – Sept) to field stations located in the Russian Federation. Assistance and support with visa applications and other required documents is available for the accepted user groups conducting field work in these stations.
The user group ( = the research group that applies for access to one or more research stations) must satisfy the following three conditions:
(*Associate states: Switzerland, Israel, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Turkey, Croatia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Serbia, Albania and Montenegro, Bosnia & Herzegovina and the Faeroe Islands)
Priority is given to:
**Applicants must hold a position at an institution of advanced research and/or education. Applicants without a PhD degree or equivalent research experience must provide letters of support from a supervisor.
Users are required to make their own travel arrangements and keep all original tickets and receipts. The travel costs will be reimbursed after the visit to the station(s) where the visit(s) was/were made. Advice on travel options can be obtained on request.
On completion of their visit(s), successful applicants will be required to:
More information about the TA call and INTERACT can be found from http://www.eu-interact.org/ or by contacting WP4 coordinator Hannele Savela, PhD, hannele.savela(at)oulu.fi, or WP4 leader Kirsi Latola, PhD, kirsi.latola(at)oulu.fi.
]]>The UK boasts a rich history of biological and ecological surveying, monitoring and research, but very few monitoring programmes have been maintained for long enough to provide definitive data on long-term trends and provide the necessary guidance for future management. Those that have survived face an uncertain future, particularly in the current economic climate, while developments in scientific understanding and instrumentation reveal new areas of concern and opportunity where monitoring should play an important role in the future.
Through a series of talks from invited speakers, the conference - which attracted 125 delegates - aimed to:
consider current and likely future national requirements for biodiversity monitoring and research;
demonstrate the ways in which long-term studies have contributed to our understanding of key biodiversity-related issues;
illustrate through case-studies the challenges faced in improving the quality, reliability and efficiency of measurements; data processing, interoperability and analysis; and the communication of results;
explore opportunities to improve monitoring capability through recent developments in science, instrumentation, and public participation, and
consider the potential for synergies between programmes and future directions for this area of research.
Although the emphasis was on the UK, the conference was of international relevance, since many of the issues discussed are essentially global and often the solutions require international cooperation
The conference report is written by the principle organisers of the conference, with input from the speakers and conference Advisory Board members. It summarises the presentations given during the event as well as key points made by delegates during discussion sessions. The authors hope that the report provides a useful perspective enabling the development of more integrated biodiversity monitoring and research in the UK and elsewhere.
Report details: Sier, A.R.J., Monteith, D. and Brooks, S. (2011) Beyond 2010: Strategies for understanding and responding to long-term trends in UK biodiversity: Conference report. 42pp (unpublished report)
Download ...
More about the 'Beyond 2010' conference, including programme, abstracts and presentations
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Last week Defra and the Environment Agency announced that parts of the Anglian region are in a state of drought, whilst areas of the South East, South West, the Midlands and Wales are experiencing near-drought conditions. Spring 2011 has been the driest on record in South East and Central Southern England, and the driest right across England and Wales since 1990.
Meteorological (weather) variables are collected at 12 UK ECN sites. An initial analysis of available data from these sites for January to May of this year clearly shows how little rain fell during March and April.
Sourhope, Scottish Borders
(Photo courtesy of The James Hutton Institute)
Figure 1: Mean total monthly precipitation (rain and snow fall, in mm) for UK ECN terrestrial sites for January to May 2011
The data for individual sites are presented in the following figure. This reveals large variations in rainfall totals between locations, and also shows how monthly rainfall totals at several ECN sites compare with longer term average values. The lack of any significant amounts of rain at most of the sites this Spring is clearly evident.
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Figure 2: Mean total monthly precipitation (mm) at each UK ECN terrestrial site for January to May. Where sufficient data within a longer time period from 1995-2010 are available, these means are also shown. 
2011 
1995-2010
Almost all sites for which a comparison can be made experienced drier than usual weather during April and, with the exception of Glensaugh (Scotland) and Hillsborough (Northern Ireland), also during March. At Rothamsted in Hertfordshire, rainfall from March to May 2011 was the lowest (driest) since records began at Rothamsted in 1870, and was only 25% of the 1995-2010 average.By contrast, May saw a return to wetter conditions, though North Wyke (Devon), Alice Holt (Surrey) and Rothamsted again received considerably less rain in May than the longer-term average.
According to the UK Met Office, for England and Wales, 2011 was the second driest Spring (i.e. March-May) since 1910 and the driest since 1990. What’s more, mean temperature across the UK was 9.1 °C, equalling Spring 2007, the warmest on record.
Various observations of apparent effects of the warm, dry weather have been reported by ECN site managers. At Rothamsted and Wytham Wood (Oxfordshire), bluebells appear to have flowered for a shorter time than usual, grass growth at Glensaugh was slowed, and at Porton, agricultural crops generally appear ‘thinner’ than normal. Some site managers have also reported earlier flowering of some plants and grasses.
Bluebells at Rothamsted, photographed over a 3 week period to show flowering state. Left: 27th April 2011; Middle: 4th May; Right: 11th May
(photo courtesy of Rothamsted Research)
This Summer we will be conducting a vegetation survey at our terrestrial sites. Thanks to our regular monitoring of a range of biological groups and three-yearly recording of vegetation at most sites since the early-mid 1990s, we should be well-placed to assess the impacts of this exceptionally dry Spring on a range of important habitats. This will enable us to follow up work published previously on the 1995 drought (see below).
Note: This is an initial analysis of UK ECN meteorological data for 2011 and the data have not yet been subject to our standard quality control procedures.
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