UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH)

💡 Nitrogen pollution is behind an unexpected finding that forest plant species are shifting their range westwards across Europe. This challenges a common belief that species are generally moving northwards because of climate change. From a study of 266 forest plant species in nearly 3000 plots across Europe, an international team found: 🌿 Westward movements are more than 2 times as likely as northward shifts 🌿 European forest plants are shifting at an average velocity of 3.56km a year 🌿 39% of the plant species are shifting westward; northward shifts were observed for 15% species Several iconic European forests such as Białowieża in Poland, Compiègne in France and Wytham Woods in England were included in the Science Magazine study which was led by Pieter Sanczuk, Ghent University and included Michael Perring from UKCEH. The team found a rapid spread of nitrogen-tolerant forest plant species from mainly Eastern Europe, such as wood sorrel, moving westward at a rate of around 5km a year, as well as tufted hair grass and tree seedlings like silver fir, hornbeam and sycamore. Read more in our news story: https://lnkd.in/eqmnuBEH See the full paper: https://lnkd.in/eQ8-RVDu

As pressures on land use intensify to balance climate, food, housing, and nature goals, and reach net zero targets, understanding these policy impacts has never been more urgent 🏘 🌳 🥕. Today at our workshop at The Royal Society, London we’re presenting insights from the FABLE model in relation to land-use policies in the UK. The event gathers representatives from UK and devolved government, researchers, and environmental organizations. We’ll share our 2023 FABLE modelling results for the UK, which have been published as part of the Sustainable Development Report 2024. Using the FABLE (Food, Agriculture, Biodiversity, Land Use, and Energy) model, we developed three pathways—Current Trends, National Commitments, and Global Sustainability—to assess the impacts of various practices and policies on the UK's food and land-use systems through 2050. These scenarios examine critical targets across food security, nutrition, GHG emissions reduction, biodiversity conservation, and sustainable use of water. ✅ FABLE’s approach supports ambitious, locally tailored strategies while ensuring that national and regional pathways align with global trade and global sustainability targets. The scenarios highlight various trade-offs and assumptions, offering critical insights to inform policies. These insights are designed to guide policymakers in crafting ambitious strategies for sustainable development. 🗨 Looking forward to engaging discussions with colleagues including Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute, Llywodraeth Cymru / Welsh Government Food, Farming and Countryside Commission, JNCC, DAERA, Climate Change Committee etc on ways to achieve these vital goals! The FABLE-UK work is led by UKCEH and Environmental Change Institute (ECI), University of Oxford. Team members include Paula Harrison, Sarah Sinclair (Jones), Freya Whittaker, Charles Godfray, Jim Hall, Michael Obersteiner, Alison Smith and John Lynch. See the Sustainable Development Report 2024 [PDF]: https://lnkd.in/du4zXZKn More about the FABLE Consortium: https://lnkd.in/dYnmbNVz

📣 Update on the Saltmarsh Code! Work is progressing well, and we would like to gather feedback and comments on development so far through an open consultation process. This will launch soon with further details to follow over the next few weeks… 👀 Find out more about the Saltmarsh Code: https://lnkd.in/dd_bkGkN #BlueCarbon #SaltmarshCode #NetZero Annette Burden Angus Garbutt Bangor University Finance Earth IUCN National Committee UK Jacobs RSPB SRUC University of St Andrews WWT Fast Track Impact Environment Agency

We're pleased to see the launch of the 2023 State of Global Water Resources report, which brings together new data sources on key hydrological variables and a significant increase in observation data since last year's report. This provides critical information highlighting severe stress on global water supplies, from five consecutive years of below-normal river flows and reservoir inflows to glaciers experienced their largest mass loss in the last 50 years The State of Water report is building a global dataset of hydrological variables to support early warning systems for water-related hazards. We're excited to begin work aligning the production of these annual reports with the development of the WMO global Hydrological Status and Outlooks System (HydroSOS). Dr Katie Facer-Childs from UKCEH, who is HydroSOS Technical Team lead, was one of the members of the report's steering committee. Harry Dixon World Meteorological Organization #StateOfWater #HydroSOS

Understanding the UK environment: In a time of rapid environmental change, long-term monitoring and accessible data are key. The NERC-funded National Capability for UK Challenges programme will help the UK understand and address challenges to air, land and water. We're excited to deliver this £29.9 million UKRI-NERC investment, empowering researchers, governments and businesses to tackle today's major environmental challenges. The programme will focus on four themes: ⛈ Hydrological extremes 🌳 Land use and net zero ⚠ Pollution 🦇 Biodiversity Through the new NC-UK programme we'll collaborate with the environmental science, policy, business and wider community to improve and provide information that is integrated and easy to access, allowing study of the environment as a whole system. Read our news announcement: https://lnkd.in/eXtJPHR3 Learn more about the programme: https://lnkd.in/egAiGq3G NERC: Natural Environment Research Council UK Research and Innovation Department for Science, Innovation and Technology Doug Wilson OBE Stuart Wainwright OBE National River Flow Archive (NRFA)

By looking at fire’s role in reducing carbon storage, our new research suggests we may need to adjust our assumptions about carbon budgets. Go behind the paper: https://lnkd.in/eFm59ujS

"They're like our remote samplers" 🐝 We were delighted to welcome BBC Oxford to our National Honey Monitoring Scheme in Wallingford to reveal how this partnership with beekeepers is unlocking the secrets of environmental change through honeybees! Honeybees as citizen scientists: Hear directly from scientists Lindsay Newbold and Ben Woodcock about the importance of the scheme, which has been running since 2018. 📻 Listen via BBC Sounds (from 1hr 27:35 min): https://lnkd.in/eanHCuuE See the BBC news story: https://lnkd.in/ew8Egsac Learn all about the National Honey Monitoring Scheme, including how to take part: https://lnkd.in/ea_35rgD You can also donate to help us keep this valuable resource running 🙏🏼 #beekeeping #pollinators #EnvironmentalScience

Thrilled to have represented UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) as part of the Co-Centre for Climate + Biodiversity + Water team, meeting UK Foreign Secretary, the Rt Hon David Lammy MP, the British Ambassador to Ireland, Paul Johnston and President of Ireland Prof. Mary Robinson at Trinity College Dublin. We had insightful discussions on the critical role of cross-country collaborations between GB and Ireland in driving forward impactful #ClimateAction. It's exciting to be part of the joint efforts under Co-Centre for Climate + Biodiversity + Water focused on tackling climate challenges and fostering sustainable solutions for the future. #Collaboration #Sustainability

🔥Wildfires are already weakening global carbon sinks, speeding up carbon loss, and making it harder to slow global warming, new research shows. A Nature Geoscience study highlights how fire isn't just a future challenge but an issue now even before we reach 1.5°C warming. A team from Met Office and UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) working with collaborators in Brazil identified critical temperature thresholds where fires cause significant shifts in tree cover and carbon storage. Globally, the impacts become pronounced at 1.34°C, close to current warming levels. However the research shows that fire impacts vary considerably, emerging at different times depending on the region. Some areas, like the Northern Boreal forests and tropical South America, are showing signs of stress earlier than expected. In contrast, other regions may not experience the worst impacts until closer to 2°C of warming. The study concludes that while fire is already reshaping ecosystems, rapid emission cuts and improved fire management could still prevent the worst outcomes. Read more in our news story: https://lnkd.in/eqhgXaV6 See the full open access paper: https://lnkd.in/ekKAKduQ #wildfires #ClimateAction Chantelle Burton Doug Kelley Richard Betts INPE

It’s official: September was the wettest month on record in the 62-year history of our meteorological station in Wallingford, Oxfordshire. Site manager Steve Turner confirmed: 🌧 164.9mm of rainfall ☔ 327% of average September rainfall Reviewing the period between 1991 and 2020, we would normally expect to receive closer to the region of 50mm for an 'average' September, Steve explained. You can view daily data (last 6 months) from the Wallingford Meteorological Station here: https://lnkd.in/eGhqQdD6 And data from the automatic weather station (last five days): https://lnkd.in/eEEcFDYa  Read more information about the site: https://lnkd.in/e9-D5pRN #rainfall #weather #meteorology