Welcome to the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology

Dr Andrew Sier

Communications & Science Liaison

Current role

I am the Communications Manager for the European Union-funded ALTER-Net Network of Excellence, primarily responsible for internal communication amongst project members, and also for managing the project website. I am also involved in the ALTER-Net work programme aimed at improving the way in which scientists and science communicators work together to communicate about biodiversity and research.

Alongside my role in ALTER-Net, I am involved in the Environmental Change Network, where my role is principally to promote the network to a wide target audience, and to liaise with key stakeholders. I play a key role in developing the network, particularly in relation to monitoring the effects of climate change and air pollution on biodiversity. I also assist with efforts to develop long-term ecosystem monitoring and research capacity in Europe.

Since joining CEH in 2000 I have been involved in a range of scientific support and administrative roles including Secretary for Countryside Survey 2000, Scientific Liaison Officer for the Environmental Change Network and Manager of the NERC Soil Biodiversity Thematic Programme. I currently play an active role in CEH's science outreach work, which aims to raise awareness of key scientific issues, and CEH's work, to a wide audience. I am a Science and Engineering Ambassador (see STEMNET), and am actively involved in the Climate Change Explorer project, working in partnership with artists and school students to raise awareness of climate change.

Professional Interests

Selected publications

See also the NERC Open Research Archive.

Usher, M.B., Sier, A.R.J., Hornung, M. and Millard, P. Understanding biological diversity in soil: The UK’s Soil Biodiversity Research Programme (2006). Applied Soil Ecology., 33(2), 101-113.

Sier, A. (ed.) (2003). Detecting Environmental Change: Science and Society. Special Issue. Science of the Total Environment, 310(1-3), -.

Parr, TW., Sier, A., Battarbee, RW., Mackay, A. and Burgess, J. (2003). Detecting environmental change: science and society - perspectives on long-term research and monitoring in the 21st century. Science of the Total Environment, 310(1-3), 1-8.

Firbank L.G., Barr C.J., Bunce R.G.H., Furse M.T., Haines-Young R., Hornung M., Howard D.C., Sheail J., Sier A., Smart S.M. (2003). Assessing stock and change in land cover and biodiversity in GB: an introduction to Countryside Survey 2000. Journal of Environmental Management. 67 (3): 207-218.

Key Reports

Morecroft, M.D., Sier, A.R.J., Elston, D.A., Nevison, I.M., Hall, J.R., Rennie, S.C., Parr, T.W.and Crick, H.Q.P. (2006). Targeted Monitoring of Air Pollution and Climate Change Impacts on Biodiversity. Final report to Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Countryside Council for Wales and English Nature.

Sier, A.R.J. (2005). Proposal for long-term ecosystem monitoring to detect impacts of climate change on biodiversity at protected sites: the ECN Biodiversity Network. A paper to Defra, EN, SNH, CCW, DoE(NI) and NTS. UK Environmental  Change Network.

Sier, A.R.J. (2005). Climate change impacts on biodiversity: Developing a long-term monitoring network. A workshop to review user requirements and develop a specification and implementation plan.  UK Environmental  Change Network.

Sier, A.R.J. and Parr, T.W. (2003). Workshop on European Networking of Long-Term Ecosystem Research (LTER) and Monitoring for Environment and Health, Copenhagen, January 2003 (available at www.lter-europe.ceh.ac.uk).

Websites

ALTER-Net: www.alter-net.info

LTER-Europe: www.lter-europe.ceh.ac.uk

CS2000: www.cs2000.org.uk

Detecting Environmental Change (International conference, London, 2001)

Newsletters and other material

ECN News (editor, issues 12-)

CS2000 News (editor, issues 5-7)