ECN terrestrial sites
There are 11 active terrestrial sites, ranging from upland to lowland and covering a wide range of habitats including semi-natural grassland, woodland, moorland, peatland and arable cropland. These sites are operated by a subset of ECN consortium partners. Each site has a dedicated and highly knowledgeable Site Manager whose duties include carrying out the ECN protocols and submitting the data to the ECN Data Centre.
ECN freshwater sites
The freshwater component of ECN comprises both lakes and rivers/streams. Data from the majority of these sites are collected by the environment agencies in Scotland, Northern Ireland, England and Wales as part of their statutory duty to monitor water bodies under the Water Framework Directive. The remaining sites are operated by a range of ECN partners. Several of the sites are Upland Waters Monitoring Network sites.
ECN sites: Great places for research & teaching
The wide range of environmental measurements, wealth of historical data and local knowledge of site managers mean that many ECN sites are excellent locations for field environmental research and teaching. An increasing number of scientists have discovered the benefits of locating their research at our sites. If you are also interested in conducting research at an ECN site, please contact us. From time-to-time there are opportunities for people outside the UK to visit selected ECN sites as part of EU-funded projects.