Flood and drought monitoring network to serve up science to boost policies and management

TECHNOLOGY UPDATE

A planned, UK-wide, research infrastructure will grow scientists' capacity to predict where and when floods and droughts will happen, and how severe they will be according to the project leader, UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH).

The project – Floods and Droughts Research Infrastructure (FDRI) – will, according to UKCEH, enable communities and businesses across the country to increase their resilience to future climate change with better management of water resources, emergency planning for floods and droughts, and improved protection of the environment.

UK Research and Innovation plans to invest £38m in the new network of fixed instruments and mobile hydrological measuring equipment and digital technology, subject to business case approval. It will seek to measure river flows, rainfall, soil moisture, groundwater levels and water quality in selected river basins in Southeast, Northwest and Northeast England, Wales and East Scotland.

Research funding body, the Natural Environment Research Council, and its strategic partners including the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology aim to establish FDRI over five years starting in April 2023. UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology claimed the infrastructure will generate more comprehensive and reliable data to provide “the robust scientific evidence needed to inform national policies, better management of water resources, emergency planning for floods and droughts, and improved protection of the environment.”

The announced funding for FDRI followed a 21-month-long scoping study, led by the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology and its partners, to establish the requirements for the new research infrastructure. The study involved consultation with scientists and engineers, as well as other stakeholders currently developing FDRI including government agencies, water companies, the farming sector, instrument manufacturers, river trusts and flood forums.