Science and innovation for hydromet services

For over 50 years, the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) has supported governments and national hydrological and meteorological services around the world to develop their services. We enable them to manage water resources now and for the future, assess and mitigate climate-related risks, and make communities safer and more resilient to hydro-climatic hazards.

We have a long track record of working successfully with diverse international organisations, including as part of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme and World Meteorological Organization (WMO). We collaborate closely with our partners to build capacity in hydrometeorological monitoring, data collection, analysis and management, and using data to build resilience.

UKCEH is a focal point for hydrometric data in the UK. We play a key role in meeting national strategic needs and provide advice to the UK Government. We created the industry-standard method for assessing flood risk in the UK.

Taking a multi-disciplinary approach allows us to provide holistic solutions to the challenges that our partners are facing. For example, our hydro-climate risks and water resources scientists work closely with soils and land use scientists to investigate how land use and land management affect water availability, and with ecologists to consider the impacts on freshwater biodiversity.