This spring and summer have seen the first FDRI instrumentation installations in FDRI’s Chess catchment, with an evaporation station, a rain gauge and a water level sensor in place. What does it take to instrument a catchment? Hear key insights from the FDRI team below.
What will data from these instruments be used for?
New installations in the Chess are already streaming 1-minute resolution data which will be available in the open-source FDRI Digital Platform from September onwards. The platform will offer free access to data on the whole water cycle in FDRI’s catchments, alongside national-level datasets on key hydrological indicators.
This data will help hydrologists across research, industry and government create faster, more accurate analyses and models. These contribute to enabling enhanced understanding and management of extremes, from nature-based solutions to forecasting, protecting livelihoods and communities across the country.
Why monitor the Chess?
As a groundwater-fed chalk stream flowing through an urbanised catchment, the Chess was selected due to its sensitivity to drought, floods and human pressures, representing the warmer, drier and low-lying southeast region of the UK.
Sites were selected to build an in-depth picture of the water-cycle on a catchment scale, with specific scientific priorities for chalk streams in mind, including understanding the impact of groundwater abstraction and groundwater movement on the water balance during extremes.
Innovating to maximise measurement accuracy and reduce maintenance
Tom Burton, Lead Field Technician
“Because we’re dealing with such a variety of site and equipment types, quick, innovative problem solving is a key part of our work as a field team.
Equipping instruments with solar powered battery technology and cellular communication means we can monitor equipment remotely, enabling data to be transmitted to the FDRI Digital Platform at 1-minute resolution. It also reduces our need for maintenance visits, minimising disturbance for landowners and increasing the field team’s efficiency.
To increase the accuracy of rainfall measurements, we installed rain gauges on a bed of gravel, reducing splashback from the surrounding ground to the collector. This raised a secondary concern that gravel could shift or settle, causing the gauge to move out of level. Our solution was a UV-resistant, non-brittle plastic ground screw that will provide a stable foundation, whilst keeping the benefit of the gravel surround. Having a 3D printer in the FDRI workshop has allowed us to quickly design, test and refine the ground screw, demonstrating how rapid prototyping can support innovation.”
Community collaboration to enable co-beneficial measurements
Kate Heppell, Lead Chess Catchment Champion
"We are incredibly grateful to the Chess’ community groups, businesses, local landowners and authorities who are contributing their land, knowledge and connections. FDRI would quite literally be impossible without them!
Where feasible, we want to ensure FDRI’s installs have added benefits for equipment hosts and local citizen scientists. We’ve worked closely with the Bury Pond Flood Action Group to install a water level monitor at one of the main sources of the Chess and a potential cause of localised flooding. The water level monitor will help the group measure the effectiveness of their flood mitigation actions, whilst providing a localised flood alert system, as volunteers will be able to track water level increases in near real-time via FDRI’s digital platform."
What’s next?
We’re continuing to engage with local landowners to secure sites, alongside planning and undertaking installations. We’ll be offering open data in FDRI’s Digital Platform progressively from this September as sites go live. Find out what you can expect to find on the platform in September.