The ExpeER call for Transnational Access (TA) proposals provides a unique opportunity for research teams and individuals to access some of Europe's major research infrastructures focused on ecosystem research. Each month, we will focus on one or two of these sites.
Focus on the Moor House observational site (UK)
INSTITUTE:NERC-CEH.
MAIN PURPOSE: Long Term Ecological Research site, climate, air pollution, land use, biodiversity.
ECOSYSTEM TYPE: Moorland on peat, grazed by sheep.
MANIPULATIONS:Grazing, peat management (fire, drainage), exclosure plots, controlled burning plots.
MORE INFORMATION: Map - About access, available facilities, supports offered and possible accommodation.
CONTACT: Rob Rose (+44 (0)15 24 59 58 33)
Moor House facilities
Moor House is an upland moorland site on an extensive area of blanket peat bog. It has a long history of research and is currently a focal point for research concerning carbon fluxes in peat soils, water and vegetation. It is also a long-term monitoring and research (LTER) site, part of the UK Environmental Change Network. A wide range of long-term measurements are made at the site. Facilities include a fully automated meteorological station (and a back-up manual weather station). The infrastructure provides a platform for a range of experiments (currently primarily concerning carbon fluxes) that are supported by continuous monitoring of climate (hourly), atmospheric deposition chemistry (weekly), soil solution chemistry (2 weekly), soil bulk chemistry (5 yearly) river chemistry (weekly) and associated flow (hourly), in addition to the annual monitoring of vegetation and more frequent measurement of a range of other biological variables. Measurements follow clear protocols that are also carried out at 11 other UK Environmental Network sites situated in a range of habitats across the UK that could also provide supporting data.
Link for more pictures
New developments since the beginning of ExpeER
In addition to the continuing long-term monitoring and research recent developments include an experimental investigation into the suitability of plastic matting as a surface for moorland tracks (lead by Natural England & Leeds University) and starting in 2013. The proposed restoration of 20ha of eroded peatland is also due to start in 2013 (lead by the North Pennines AONB Partnership).
ExpeER TNA accepted projects
One project has been accepted so far:
- Characterisation of organo-mineral associations in soil by NanoSIMS - more
Recent publications
Allan Ramchunder, S. J., Brown, L. E. & Holden. J. 2012. Catchment-scale peatland restoration benefits stream ecosystem biodiversity. Journal of Applied Ecology 2012, 49, 182–191 doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2664.2011.02075.x
van Winden, J. F., Reichart, G., McNamara, N. P., Benthien, A. & Sinninghe Damste, J. S. 2012. Temperature-Induced Increase in Methane Release from Peat Bogs: A Mesocosm Experiment. PLoS ONE 7(6): e39614. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0039614
Ward, S. E., Ostle, N. J., Oakley, S., Quirk, H., Stott, A., Henrys, P. A., Scott, W. A. & Bardgett, R. D. 2012. Fire Accelerates Assimilation and Transfer of Photosynthetic Carbon from Plants to Soil Microbes in a Northern Peatland. Ecosystems, DOI: 10.1007/s10021-012-9581-8
Worrall, F., Clay, G. D., Burt, T. P. & Rose, R. 2012. The multi-annual nitrogen budget of a peat-covered catchment — Changing from sink to source? Science of the Total Environment; 433, 178–188.
Lee, H., Alday, J. G., Rose, R. J., O’Reilly, J. & Marrs R. H. 2013. Long-term effects of rotational prescribed burning and low-intensity sheep grazing on blanket-bog plant communities. Journal of Applied Ecology doi: 10.1111/1365-2664.12078
