Auchencorth Moss Atmospheric Observatory
The purpose of Auchencorth Moss Atmospheric Observatory is to monitor atmospheric composition (air quality) and the exchange of pollutants between land surface and atmosphere in a peatland (carbon-rich) catchment. Peatlands are important because they occupy 12% of the UK's land area and capture/store vast quantities of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere, helping to offset human-generated greenhouse gas emissions that drive climate change. This observatory is Scotland’s largest air quality monitoring station, contributes to many UK and international air quality monitoring networks (see Partners) and is also used for short-term field experiments.

Category
Instrumented sites
Capabilities
The Auchencorth Moss field site is an extensive lowland raised bog (ombotrophic peatland) grazed by sheep (less than 1 sheep per hectare). As an atmospheric measurement 'supersite' it routinely reports more than 300 chemical and physical properties of the atmosphere - a full list of measurements can be found online. As well as state-of-the-art equipment on-site or available from UKCEH (including TOF-AMS, CIMS, PTRMS, QCL and CRDS), the site has a cabin equipped with bench space, inlets and air conditioning. The cabin is designed for housing short-term experiments and visiting scientists.
Lifecycle
The Auchencorth Moss site was established as a research facility for methane fluxes in 1994. Its capabilities were expanded in 1995 to monitor sulphur dioxide and model UK acid deposition. In 2006 it was established as one of two of the UK European Monitoring and Evaluation Programme (EMEP) air pollution supersites under the United Nations Convention on Long Range Transboundary Air Pollution (CLRTAP) for a diverse range of atmospheric and meteorological measurements. In 2008 the Observatory was integrated into two European Infrastructure Networks: Aerosol, Clouds, and Trace gases (ACTRIS) and Integrated Carbon Observation System (ICOS). In 2014 the Observatory achieved World Meteorological Organisation Global Atmospheric Watch (WMO-GAW) Regional Station status. In 2016 it was integrated into another European Infrastructure Network: Long-Term Ecosystem Research in Europe (eLTER). In 2019 the Observatory was integrated into the UKRI 'Infrastructure Roadmap'. In 2021 it gained ICOS accreditation and is the UK's only ICOS Ecosystem site. The Auchencorth Moss Atmospheric Observatory has a 25 year planning permission and a long-term access agreement with landowners. Site infrastructure (cabins, boardwalks and other infrastructure) is maintained and replaced on a rolling programme. Instruments are on an annual cycle of maintenance and QAQC led either by UKCEH or the owning organisation. Contracts for operations at site are generally 3-5 years with costed renegotiations.
Uniqueness
The Auchencorth Moss Atmospheric Observatory is recognised as a globally important and unique research infrastructure for a combination of reasons, including: (1) One of the world's most instrumented environmental monitoring sites, routinely reporting more than 300 chemical and physical properties of the atmosphere; (2) Integrated into all major UK and international air quality networks; (3) UK sentinel site or supersite in long-term air/ecosystem/hydrology monitoring networks (including WMO-GAW, ICOS, eLTER, ACTRIS, EMEP); (4) A centre for research into atmospheric composition, greenhouse gases, peatland research, ecosystem change and impacts, plus instrument testing, resulting in over 115 ISI research papers; (5) An ideal location to measure background atmospheric conditions as clean air from the Atlantic dominates air flows (giving a similar atmospheric composition as found e.g. in rural Scandinavia); (6) Longest record of CO2 flux over a peatland in the Northern Hemisphere, providing information on the impact climate change will have on carbon reservoirs and greenhouse gases budgets from peatlands; (7) The only site currently in Scotland to produce real time information on particle composition to allow fast response to identify and assess pollution events (e.g. volcanic eruptions in Iceland); (8) Provides data to inform policymakers and regulators (including Scottish Government, DEFRA, SEPA, Environment Agency) of pollution levels from particular source sectors, such as the spring plumes of ammonium nitrates and sulphates formed e.g. by agricultural emissions; (9) Globally important capability for quantifying long-term atmospheric pollutant inputs to a sensitive ecosystem.
Partners
Auchencorth Moss is extensively integrated and embedded into UK and international air quality monitoring networks and research collaborations, including European Research Infrastructure Consortia (ERICs):
• One of UKCEH’s Carbon Catchments sites.
• World Meteorological Organisation – Global Atmospheric Watch (WMO-GAW) regional station - providing high quality data on the chemical composition of the atmosphere and meteorological parameters: to better understand natural and anthropogenic changes over time; and to improve the understanding of interactions between the atmosphere, the oceans and the biosphere.
• ICOS (Integrated Carbon Observation System) Ecosystem measurement site - to quantify and improve the understanding of the carbon cycle and greenhouse gas budgets and perturbations.
• ACTRIS (Aerosol, Clouds and Trace Gases) In-situ site - to produce open access high-quality observations of aerosols, clouds and trace gases to address environmental and societal challenges, such as air pollution, sustainability, human and environmental health, and climate change.
• eLTER (Long-Term Ecosystem Research in Europe) which focuses on long-term trends in environmental and ecological changes.
• The UK Northern supersite under the European Monitoring and Evaluation Programme (EMEP).
• UK Eutrophying and Acidifying Pollutant (UKEAP) networks.
• UK Ammonia Network (NAMN).
• UK Acid Gases and Aerosols Network (AGANet).
• UK Heavy Metal Network.
• UK Automatic Urban and Rural Network (AURN).
• UK Automatic Hydrocarbon Monitoring Network.
• UK Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs).
• UK Particle Number and Concentration Network - including size distribution of particulate matter, black carbon, Elemental/Organic carbon (ECOC).
• UK Toxic Organic Micro Particles (TOMPS)
• One of UKCEH’s Carbon Catchments sites.
• World Meteorological Organisation – Global Atmospheric Watch (WMO-GAW) regional station - providing high quality data on the chemical composition of the atmosphere and meteorological parameters: to better understand natural and anthropogenic changes over time; and to improve the understanding of interactions between the atmosphere, the oceans and the biosphere.
• ICOS (Integrated Carbon Observation System) Ecosystem measurement site - to quantify and improve the understanding of the carbon cycle and greenhouse gas budgets and perturbations.
• ACTRIS (Aerosol, Clouds and Trace Gases) In-situ site - to produce open access high-quality observations of aerosols, clouds and trace gases to address environmental and societal challenges, such as air pollution, sustainability, human and environmental health, and climate change.
• eLTER (Long-Term Ecosystem Research in Europe) which focuses on long-term trends in environmental and ecological changes.
• The UK Northern supersite under the European Monitoring and Evaluation Programme (EMEP).
• UK Eutrophying and Acidifying Pollutant (UKEAP) networks.
• UK Ammonia Network (NAMN).
• UK Acid Gases and Aerosols Network (AGANet).
• UK Heavy Metal Network.
• UK Automatic Urban and Rural Network (AURN).
• UK Automatic Hydrocarbon Monitoring Network.
• UK Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs).
• UK Particle Number and Concentration Network - including size distribution of particulate matter, black carbon, Elemental/Organic carbon (ECOC).
• UK Toxic Organic Micro Particles (TOMPS)
Access
Research and observation outputs from Auchencorth Moss Atmospheric Observatory are freely available as data, ISI research papers and government reports: see UK-Air (DEFRA); Scottish Air Quality database; NERC Data Repository for Atmospheric Science and Earth Observation (CEDA); and EBAS (ebas.nilu.no). The Auchencorth Moss Observatory and site are available to visiting scientists for research and collaboration involving observation and short-term experiments. Physical access to the site is managed by UKCEH: initial enquiries via Matt Jones or Marsailidh Twigg at UKCEH Edinburgh.
Location
Auchencorth Moss observatory is located in South East Scotland (55°47’36” N, 3°14’41” W; 18 km SSW of Edinburgh) at 270 metres above sea level.
Funding sources
Auchencorth Moss Observatory is funded through research project grants (competitively won income).
Users
Research and observation outputs from this observatory are used by: Defra and Scottish Government policy and regulation teams; air quality and climate change researchers.
Scale
Area, city, farm, habitat
Location
Last updated
21 June 2024 07:58
Contact
Matt Jones UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology