Science infrastructure overview and catalogue

Overview – how it all fits together

To see all UKCEH Science Infrastructures ‘at-a-glance’, before you search our catalogue in more detail, click on each table below to see more (or less) summary information.

While each UKCEH science infrastructure has its own unique purpose and capabilities, our whole portfolio is strategically planned and managed to enable integrated research across the whole land-based environment:

To address the most important UK and global strategic goals and challenges
To provide broad-scale coverage of the UK and its landscapes as whole systems
To provide intensive, in-depth measurement of specific environmental systems, habitats and land-uses
To reveal and predict environmental processes, interconnections, status and change across all scales: from local field or city to landscape to national scale
To study the whole UK environmental system, encompassing different land use and habitat types including: land, soil, water and air; uplands and lowlands; urban and rural; agriculture and woodland; and so on

1: Environmental Observatories

		Strategic goals and challenges addressed
		Climate Change		Clean Growth
Infrastructure Asset Type	Infrastructure Asset	Mitigation Challenges addressed Tackle global warming by measuring and reducing greenhouse gas emissions generated by human activity to net zero.	Adaptation Challenges addressed Adapt and build resilience to natural hazards such as floods, droughts and extreme weather events, which are predicted to increase in frequency and become more severe under climate change.	Pollution Challenges addressed Deliver clean air, water, soils, food and public health by preventing or managing pollution; supporting the development of sustainable and safe products; and reducing the consumption and waste of natural resources.	Sustainable ecosystems; biodiversity net gain Challenges addressed Develop land use and economic practices that promote and restore biodiversity and ecosystem function, whilst also reducing the impact of invasive species and diseases.
Instrumented Sites	Environmental Change Network (ECN)			Y	Y
Instrumented Sites	UK Land Flux Network (UKLFN)	Y
Instrumented Sites	GHG-Aqua Network	Y
Instrumented Sites	Lowland Peat Network	Y
Instrumented Sites	UK-COSMOS Cosmic-Ray Soil Moisture Monitoring		Y
Instrumented sites	Upland Water Network			Y
Instrumented Sites	Acidifying Pollutant Network (UKEAP)			Y
Instrumented Sites	Conwy Research Catchment			Y
Instrumented Sites	Plynlimon Research Catchments		Y	Y
Instrumented Sites	River Thames Initiative			Y
Instrumented Sites	Sand Dune Ecohydrology Network				Y
Instrumented Sites	UKCEH Lake Observatories			Y	Y
Instrumented Sites	BT Tower London Atmospheric Pollution Observatory			Y
Instrumented Sites	Auchencorth Moss Atmospheric Observatory	Y		Y
Periodic Surveys	UKCEH Countryside Survey	Y			Y
Periodic Surveys	British Woodland Survey				Y
Periodic Surveys	Welsh Countryside Monitoring (GMEP/ERAMMP)			Y	Y
Wildlife Monitoring Schemes	Biological Records Centre (BRC)				Y
Wildlife Monitoring Schemes	GB Non-Native Species Information Portal (GBNNSIP)				Y
Wildlife Monitoring Schemes and Discovery Collections	National Plant Monitoring Scheme (NPMS)				Y
Wildlife Monitoring Schemes	UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme (UKBMS)				Y
Wildlife Monitoring Schemes	UK Pollinator Monitoring Scheme (UKPoMS)				Y
Wildlife Monitoring Schemes and Discovery Collections	National Honey Monitoring Scheme (NHMS) & Archive			Y
Wildlife Monitoring Schemes and Discovery Collections	Predatory Bird Monitoring Scheme (PBMS) & Archive			Y
Wildlife Monitoring Schemes and Discovery Collections	Fish Monitoring Scheme (FMS) & Archive			Y
Wildlife Monitoring Schemes and Discovery Collections	UKCEH Soil Bank			Y	Y
Mobile Observing Platforms	Airborne Research Drones (researcher operated)				Y
Mobile Observing Platforms	Mobile Air Quality and Flux Measurement Labs			Y
Mobile Observing Platforms	Research Boats (piloted)			Y	Y
Mobile Observing Platforms	Research Boats (remotely controlled)			Y	Y

2: Environmental Experiment Platforms

		Strategic goals and challenges addressed
		Climate Change		Clean Growth
Infrastructure Asset Type	Infrastructure Asset	Mitigation Challenges addressed Tackle global warming by measuring and reducing greenhouse gas emissions generated by human activity to net zero.	Adaptation Challenges addressed Adapt and build resilience to natural hazards such as floods, droughts and extreme weather events, which are predicted to increase in frequency and become more severe under climate change.	Pollution Challenges addressed Deliver clean air, water, soils, food and public health by preventing or managing pollution; supporting the development of sustainable and safe products; and reducing the consumption and waste of natural resources.	Sustainable ecosystems; biodiversity net gain Challenges addressed Develop land use and economic practices that promote and restore biodiversity and ecosystem function, whilst also reducing the impact of invasive species and diseases.
Controlled Environment Platform	Ozone Pollution and Climate Change Exposure Facility (Aber Solardomes)			Y
Controlled Environment Platform	UKCEH GroDome Facility (Wallingford)				Y
Controlled Environment Platform	UKCEH Glasshouses Facility (Edinburgh)				Y
Controlled Environment Platform	UKCEH Aquatic Mesocosm Facility (Lancaster)	Y		Y
Field Research Platform	ASSIST Commercial Study Farm Network	Y		Y	Y
Field Research Platform	Hillesden Sustainable Farming Platform			Y	Y
Field Research Platform	Easter Bush Farm Platform			Y	Y
Field Research Platform	Monks Wood Re-Wilding Experiment				Y
Field Research Platform	Monks Wood Hedgerow Experiment				Y
Field Research Platform	Glencorse Woodland Experiment Platform			Y	Y
Field Research Platform	Peatland Nitrogen Pollution Experiment (Whim Bog)			Y
Field Research Platform	Heathland Climate Change Experiment (Clocaenog)	Y
Field Research Platform	Isle of May Long-Term Study (IMLOTS)			Y	Y

3: Analytical Facilities

		Strategic goals and challenges addressed
		Climate Change		Clean Growth
Infrastructure Asset Type	Infrastructure Asset	Mitigation Challenges addressed Tackle global warming by measuring and reducing greenhouse gas emissions generated by human activity to net zero.	Adaptation Challenges addressed Adapt and build resilience to natural hazards such as floods, droughts and extreme weather events, which are predicted to increase in frequency and become more severe under climate change.	Pollution Challenges addressed Deliver clean air, water, soils, food and public health by preventing or managing pollution; supporting the development of sustainable and safe products; and reducing the consumption and waste of natural resources.	Sustainable ecosystems; biodiversity net gain Challenges addressed Develop land use and economic practices that promote and restore biodiversity and ecosystem function, whilst also reducing the impact of invasive species and diseases.
Analysis Labs	Atmospheric Analysis Facility (GHGs)	Y
Analysis Labs	Atmospheric Analysis Facility (TGAs)			Y
Analysis Labs	Water Labs		Y	Y	Y
Analysis Labs	Nutrient Chemistry Labs			Y
Analysis Labs	Microplastics Analysis Facility			Y
Analysis Labs	Molecular Biology Labs				Y
Analysis Labs	Analytical Chemistry Lab Service : Lancaster Hub			Y
Analysis Labs	Analytical Chemistry Lab Service : Bangor	Y		Y
Analysis Labs	Lancaster Aquarium				Y
Analysis Labs	UKCEH Engineering Workshops Service	Y	Y	Y	Y
Analysis Labs	Air Quality Equipment Testing			Y

4: Digital Infrastructures

		Strategic goals and challenges addressed
		Climate Change		Clean Growth
Infrastructure Asset Type	Infrastructure Asset	Mitigation Challenges addressed Tackle global warming by measuring and reducing greenhouse gas emissions generated by human activity to net zero.	Adaptation Challenges addressed Adapt and build resilience to natural hazards such as floods, droughts and extreme weather events, which are predicted to increase in frequency and become more severe under climate change.	Pollution Challenges addressed Deliver clean air, water, soils, food and public health by preventing or managing pollution; supporting the development of sustainable and safe products; and reducing the consumption and waste of natural resources.	Sustainable ecosystems; biodiversity net gain Challenges addressed Develop land use and economic practices that promote and restore biodiversity and ecosystem function, whilst also reducing the impact of invasive species and diseases.
Environmental models	Joint UK Land Use Simulator (JULES)	Y	Y
Environmental models	Unified Framework for Hydrology (UniFHy)		Y
Environmental models	Grid-to-Grid (G2G)		Y
Environmental models	Global Water Availability Assessment Model (GWAVA)		Y
Environmental models	Long-Term Large-Scale Macronutrient Model (LTLS)	Y		Y
Environmental models	Low Flows 2000 - Water Quality Extension (LF2000-WQX)			Y
Environmental models	Load Apportionment Model (LAM)			Y
Environmental models	Cascade			Y
Environmental models	Nanomaterial Fate and Speciation in the Environment (NanoFASE)			Y
Environmental models	Intermediate Dynamic Model for Metals (IDMM)			Y
Environmental models	Windermere Humic Aqueous Model (WHAM)			Y
Environmental models	Phytoplankton Responses to Environmental Change (PROTECH)			Y
Environmental models	Eutrophication Risk Model			Y
Environmental models	Quality Evaluation and Simulation Tool for Rivers (QUESTOR)			Y
Environmental models	Model of Acidity Dynamics and Organic Carbon (MADOC)	Y		Y
Environmental models	Nitrogen, Carbon and Phosphorus in Soils (N14CP)	Y		Y
Environmental models	Organic matter Protection (OPRAS)	Y		Y
Environmental models	European Monitoring and Evaluation Programme UK (EMEPUK)			Y
Environmental models	National Focal Centre for modelling & mapping exceedances (NFC)			Y
Environmental models	Carbon and Acidity effects on Metal Processing in Soil (CAMPS)			Y
Environmental models	Welsh Environment Integrated Modelling Platform (ERAMMP-IMP)				Y
Environmental models	Welsh Environment (ERAMMP) Quick Start Tools				Y
Environmental models	Environmental Evaluation Assessment Scenario Tool (EVAST)				Y
Environmental models	Food, Agriculture, Biodiversity, Land-use, Energy calculator (FABLE)				Y
Environmental models	City Explorer Toolkit				Y
Environmental models	Tree Planting Tool for Air Pollution (Trees4AirPollution)				Y
Environmental models	Productivity and Succession Model (PROSUM)				Y

Science infrastructure catalogue

Our science infrastructure catalogue is an interactive portal that enables you to explore the infrastructures we operate, to understand their purpose and capabilities, and to find out how you can access them and the data that they generate.

The catalogue is primarily for the UK research community, including scientists and students, as well as for research funders and partners in government departments, public bodies, businesses and non-governmental organisations.

If you have any feedback on how we can make this catalogue more useful please email our science infrastructure catalogue team.

Explore the catalogue >

Screengrab showing Science Infrastructure homepage

Back to Science infrastructure menu