The principal hydrology institute in the United Kingdom is the
Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH),
a public-sector research agency under the Natural
Environment Research Council (NERC). CEH has four research sites,
located at Wallingford (headquarters),
Edinburgh, Lancaster, and Bangor.
The history of CEH goes back to 1951, with the creation of the Hydraulics
Research Station (HRS). In 1965, the hydrological
research unit of HRS was transferred to NERC to become
the Institute of Hydrology. In 1994, its theme and mandate were expanded to become the
Centre for Ecology and Hydrology.
CEH is a centre of excellence for integrated research in hydrology and terrestrial
and freshwater ecosystems and their interaction with the atmosphere.
CEH provides a national capability based on innovative, independent and
interdisciplinary science and long-term environmental monitoring.
Working in partnership with the research community, policy-makers, industry and
society, CEH delivers world-class solutions to the most complex
environmental challenges facing humankind.
CEH's unique combination of cross-cutting scientific expertise, long-term environmental monitoring and
state-of-the-art research infrastructure enables it to deliver
practicable solutions so that future
generations can benefit from a rich and healthy environment.
CEH delivers its research through three independent science programs:
- Biodiversity
- Biogeochemistry
- Water
Each program has three research topics. The biodiversity topics are: (1) Observations,
patterns, and predictions for biodiversity; (2) Ecological processes in
the environment; and (3) Managing biodiversity
and ecosystem services.
The biogeochemistry topics are: (1) Monitoring and interpretation
of biogeochemical and climate changes; (2) biogeochemistry and climate system processes;
and (3) Managing threats to environment and health.
The water topics area: (1)
Variability and change in water systems; (2) Ecohydrological processes; and (3) Science
for water management.
The water topics concentrate on detecting environmental changes,
identifying and quantifying their causes, and
predicting the impacts of environmental change.
CEH's Water Programme provides scientific insights into the processes that
determine water flows, water quality and biotic resources in order to
assist the sustainable management of catchments and their water resources.
Analysis of observations of the morphology, hydrology, chemistry and biology of lowland
and upland rivers and lakes is used to identify trends and evaluate new and existing models.
Monitoring, experiments and modelling are used to identify roles of abiotic
and biotic processes and interactions in freshwaters, and in the management,
conservation and restoration of freshwater ecosystems. Catchment-scale
monitoring and experimental studies aim to reduce the uncertainties in the
prediction of environmental change arising from limitations in current
understanding of hydrological feedbacks between the land surface and atmosphere.
CEH is a major custodian of environmental data, including 20 million records of 12,000 species
occurring across Britain and Ireland, as well as records of over 50,000 station years of daily
and monthly river flow data, derived from over 1,300 gauging stations throughout the UK.
