Activity
Environmental Change Network: Precipitation chemistry

Although acid rain and its effects have been of interest for more than 100 years, most high-quality, systematic studies of acidic deposition have been carried out since the 1970s when observations of freshwater acidification alerted scientists to the need for better and more widespread data. Subsequent research has highlighted the many impacts which the deposition of atmospherically transported pollutants has on ecosystems. The extent and significance of these impacts on physical, chemical and biotic components of ecosystems are likely to be affected by future changes in emissions of pollutants, and make the measurement of the deposition of atmospherically transported material an important activity for ECN. The methods used by ECN conform with those used at Secondary Sites of the UK Precipitation Composition Monitoring Networks (UKPCMN). Fourteen chemical variables are analysed weekly.

General Information

Objectives: To measure the chemical composition of precipitation and dry deposition (bulk precipitation) at ECN sites using a continuously open gauge.
Environmental domain: Atmosphere
Purpose Of collection: Data series
Policy
Keywords: Rainfall
Environmental Change Network
precipitation chemistry
FCERM
ECN
Parameters measured: magnesium
iron
aluminium
ammonium (precip)
chloride
nitrate (precip)
sulphate (precip)
phosphate (precip)
alkalinity
pH
conductivity
sodium
potassium
calcium
erff keywords: E1.4, B1, D1, A4, C14, C16, D4.1, E2.2.A.15, A4, B2, C1, D4.1, D4.2, D4.3, D4.5, E2.2.B.9, C13.9, E5.B.3.2, E1.2.2, E5.A.1, E5.C.3.2, FCERM, E5.C.2, G2.2.1, E2.2.A.20, S4.15, S4.22, E2.2.B.6
Measurement Regime: continually
Links to data: UK Environmental Change Network (ECN) precipitation chemistry data: 1992-2012

Location

Bounding box

This activity uses these facilities/networks:

Wytham
Yr Wyddfa/Snowdon
Porton
Hillsborough
Sourhope
Alice Holt
North Wyke
Moor House - Upper Teesdale
Rothamsted (Harpenden)
Glensaugh research station
Drayton
Cairngorms

This activity is set up for these programmes:

Environmental Change Network

Contacts

Lead organisation: Sue Rennie Centre for Ecology & Hydrology LANCASTER LA1 4AP UK ecnccu@ceh.ac.uk
Funder: Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute BELFAST BT9 5PX UK info@afbini.gov.uk http://www.afbini.gov.uk
Funder: Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council Polaris House North Star Avenue Swindon WILTSHIRE SN2 1UH UK +44 (0)1793 413200 http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/
Funder: Natural Resources Wales Ty Cambria 29 Newport Road CARDIFF CF24 0TP UK enquiries@naturalresourceswales.gov.uk +44 (0) 300 065 3000 http://naturalresourceswales.gov.uk/
Funder: Defence Science and Technology Laboratory Porton Down Salisbury WILTSHIRE SP4 0JQ UK +44 (0) 1980 613000 https://www.dstl.gov.uk/
Funder: Defra 17 Smith Square LONDON SW1P 3JR UK defra.helpline@defra.gsi.gov.uk +44 20 7238 6951 https://www.gov.uk/defra
Funder: Environment Agency National Customer Contact Centre PO Box 544 ROTHERHAM S60 1BY UK enquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk 03708 506 506 https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/environment-agency
Funder: Forestry Commission 620 Bristol Business Park Coldharbour Lane BRISTOL BS16 1EJ UK fe.england@forestry.gsi.gov.uk +44 (0) 117 906 6000 http://www.forestry.gov.uk/
Funder: Welsh Government Cathays Park CARDIFF CF10 3NQ UK 0300 0603300 http://wales.gov.uk/
Funder: Natural England Foundry House 3 Millsands Riverside Exchange SHEFFIELD S3 8NH UK enquiries@naturalengland.org.uk 0300 060 3900 http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/
Funder: Natural Environment Research Council Polaris House North Star Avenue SWINDON SN2 1EU UK +44 (0) 1793 411500 http://www.nerc.ac.uk
Funder: Northern Ireland Environment Agency nieainfo@doeni.gov.uk 0845 302 0008 http://www.doeni.gov.uk/niea/
Funder: Scottish Environment Protection Agency Erskine Court Castle Business Park STIRLING FK9 4TR UK +44 (0) 1786 457700 http://www.sepa.org.uk/
Funder: Scottish Government St. Andrew's House Regent Road EDINBURGH EH1 3DG UK ceu@scotland.gsi.gov.uk 0300 244 4000 http://www.scotland.gov.uk
Funder: Scottish Natural Heritage Leachkin Road INVERNESS IV3 8NW UK enquiries@snh.gov.uk +44 (0) 1463 725000 http://www.snh.gov.uk
Other: ADAS Pendeford House Pendeford Business Park Wobaston Rd Pendeford WOLVERHAMPTON WV9 5AP UK enquiries@adas.co.uk 0845 766 0085 http://www.adas.co.uk/
Other: Forest Research Alice Holt Lodge Farnham SURREY GU10 4LH UK research.info@forestry.gsi.gov.uk 01420 22255 http://www.forestry.gov.uk/forestresearch
Other: Marine Scotland Science 375 Victoria Road PO Box 101 ABERDEEN AB11 9DB UK +44 (0)1224 876544 http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/marine/science
Other: Rothamsted Research Harpenden HERTFORDSHIRE AL5 2JQ UK + 44 (0) 1582 763 133 http://www.rothamsted.ac.uk
Other: The James Hutton Institute Craigiebuckler Craigiebuckler ABERDEEN AB15 8QH UK info@hutton.ac.uk +44 (0) 844 928 5428 http://www.hutton.ac.uk/
Other: UK Upland Waters Monitoring Network http://awmn.defra.gov.uk/

Metadata

Publication status: PUBLIC
Record identifier: 5c7cf102-03f3-4046-8e94-f2fa3b32fabf
Last modified: 2017-08-21 11:21:05
Metadata author: Centre for Ecology & Hydrology ecnccu@ceh.ac.uk
Topic categories: Climatology / Meteorology / Atmosphere
Environment
Other identifier: Envirobase 1322189
UKEOF 473173

Activity Environmental Change Network: Precipitation chemistry