Sand Dune Ecohydrology Network

The purpose of the Sand Dune Ecohydrology Network is to monitor the effects of climate change in dune wetlands across Britain. Dune wetlands are highly biodiverse, but are particularly sensitive to climate change through subtle changes in the balance between rainfall and evapotranspiration. Groundwater levels in dune systems are a good integrator of climate change, and directly affect vegetation communities and their ecological condition. For example, the area of dune wetlands on protected sites in England has decreased by 30% in 25 years due to drying out. This is an instrumented network of co-located groundwater, vegetation and soil monitoring locations in dune wetlands. The Newborough Dunes site is also used for field experiments.