UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH)

Ever wondered what a worm sounds like in the soil? 🌱 Our next Counting the Earth episode uncovers hidden garden life, smart tech, and the power of citizen science. Recorded at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show with UKCEH experts + the Big British Garden Survey. 🎧 Out next week. #Biodiversity

📬 Our May monthly newsletter has landed! Highlights include: 🌡️ Windermere warming trend 🌼 Highlighting garden wildlife and citizen science 🌎 New global lakes explorer 💧 UK freshwater biodiversity monitoring and much more... Catch up here: mailings.ceh.ac.uk/may26-newsle... 🧪

🌼 We had a great week of engagement talking to visitors at #RHSChelsea Flower Show about the value of gardens for wildlife, innovative technology for monitoring biodiversity, and the ways people can record nature in their gardens with citizen science apps. More: www.ceh.ac.uk/news-and-med... 🧪

Big changes start small. On #BiodiversityDay we highlight steps you can take in your garden to lend nature a helping hand. Biodiversity loss threatens wildlife, economies, human health. By acting locally we contribute to a global effort towards halting it. https://tinyurl.com/5y6xc5k5 #ForNature

Did you know that UK gardens collectively form more green space than all our national nature reserves combined? They are vital mini-ecosystems for supporting biodiversity, wellbeing & climate resilience. Even small greenspaces help. 🔗 https://f.mtr.cool/udwwyaukou #RHSChelsea #CitizenScience

We're also harnessing AI to help understand the extent and speed of biodiversity declines globally. This includes using AI-based camera systems and acoustic recorders to monitor wildlife. Visitors will be able to hear sounds like an earthworm moving through the soil. More: tinyurl.com/yuh58u3y 3/

🪲🌼🐝 We’re heading to RHS Chelsea Flower Show for the first time next week! Come chat with us about the wildlife in your garden or local green space, and the citizen science apps you can use to record what you see. 1/ #RHSChelsea 🧪

Prefer the old fashioned way? Sign up to get future editions straight to your inbox: www.ceh.ac.uk/ukceh-newsle...

Our April newsletter has landed. Check out top stories including: 🌱 High-resolution soil maps 🔬 Moss monitoring reveals microplastic pollution 🍎 Small diet changes, big impacts for planet 📉 Urgent window to halt biodiversity decline Read it here: mailings.ceh.ac.uk/20-years-to-... 🧪

UKBMS volunteers have walked a total of >1.5 million kilometres since 1976 at more than 7,600 sites to produce this incredible dataset. That’s the equivalent of walking 40 times around the world – or to the moon and back twice. Latest annual results: www.ukbms.org 3/3

One of the reasons palm oil is so widely used is its versatility. 👀 As Alice explains, there are different ways to check if the palm oil in a product is sustainable. 3/3

From chocolate to shampoo, palm oil is found in nearly half of packaged goods on supermarket shelves. Its versatility makes it difficult to replace, yet its production remains controversial. So how can it become more sustainable? 🧪 Join Alice and Sue on the next Counting the Earth - coming soon!

Climate projections suggest more extreme weather swings like in 2025: drought followed by intense rainfall, or "whiplash weather”. Challenging for water management, agriculture & the environment. Tune in to our podcast: 🎧 https://f.mtr.cool/gidrnbxnzf #WorldWaterDay

As environmental science took shape in 1950s–60s Britain, women at our old Merlewood research station had key roles in labs, fieldwork & offices. UKCEH builds on this legacy and is committed to advancing gender equality as we shape the future of environmental science today. #InternationalWomensDay

Some of our web portals and catalogues may be offline for a period this weekend as we carry out routine IT maintenance. Please check back soon! #BackSoon #PlannedDowntime

NEW: A key finding about how intense thunderstorms develop could help improve the certainty about the location of upcoming storms on hot days 🌩️ #EarlyWarnings See our news: www.ceh.ac.uk/press/thunde... 🧪 1/

🧐 Did you know, there's an easy way to tell the difference between grasshoppers and crickets? Entomologist Robin Hutchinson explains 📽️ #WorldWildlifeDay 🦗 4/

Prefer to get it straight to your inbox every month? Sign up here to never miss an issue www.ceh.ac.uk/ukceh-newsle... 2/2

What if river monitoring didn’t have to be expensive? 🤔 Here are some reactions from last week's open hardware workshop from the Floods and Droughts Research Infrastructure (FDRI). Participants learned how to build and use low-cost technology to monitor rivers. 💧 1/

Inspiring the next generation of biodiversity leaders ✨ UKCEH’s Pathways to IPBES event, part of Defra’s #IPBES12 programme, brought together IPBES Fellows & other early career researchers to strengthen links across science, business and policy. Learn more: www.ceh.ac.uk/news-and-med... 🧪

Our Counting the Earth podcast has a new episode! 🎧 Celebrate #WomenInScience Day with senior hydrologist Lucy Barker in conversation with Sue Nelson and Alice Hope, as they explore the UK’s whiplash weather. Available now on all good podcast providers. 1/ 🧪

Alice and Sue chat to senior hydrologist Lucy Barker about the complexities of the UK's weather and water cycle. And micrometeorologist Jon Evans explains how cosmic rays from space are used to measure soil moisture at different sites around the UK. Listen now: audioboom.com/posts/885879... 2/

From drought to downpour, 2025 brought the UK whiplash weather 🌦️ New on our Counting the Earth podcast, we delve into the UK's weather extremes. After a dry spring & four heatwaves we had significant rainfall later in the year. By December, total rainfall reached ~90% of the UK average. 1/

🎉 Exciting collaboration! UKCEH & @imperialcollegeldn.bsky.social have joined forces on the @undaunted-hq.bsky.social Green Innovation Challenge to turn research into climate solutions. Teams met for an ideathon on themes like biochar, nitrogen & urban flooding. They'll pitch ideas in March! 1/