UK EMEP supersites - Auchencorth and Harwell

The UNECE Convention on Long Range Transboundary Air Pollutants operates a number of measurement and monitoring programmes, including EMEP – the Co-operative Programme for Monitoring and Evaluation of the Long-range Transmission of Air Pollutants in Europe (see https://emep.int/).

The United Kingdom contribution to the EMEP monitoring strategy is based on the creation of two Level II ‘supersites’, one in the north of the UK and one in the south, at which additional measurements are made to qualify as an EMEP Level III site. Data from these sites at hourly or daily frequency are supplemented by long-term integrating measurements from existing Defra-funded monitoring networks across the UK. The northern site is identified as Auchencorth Moss in eastern Scotland (UK OS grid reference NT220562) which has been used by the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology for several years as an intensive monitoring site for trace gas and particle concentrations and fluxes. The site is based in an area of upland deep peat, with heather and grass cover, and has an extensive fetch to the south-west. The southern site is identified as Harwell, in Oxfordshire, operated by AEA Technology over many years for sampling trace gases and aerosols.

Auchencorth 'Super Site'

Auchencorth Fieldsite

Auchencorth Super Site (UK OS grid reference NT220562)

Wet Only Collector

Daily wet-only deposition collector

Harwell 'Super Site'

Harwell MARGA

MARGA (Monitor for AeRosols and Gases in Air) at Harwell

Harwell ANNOx

ANNOx at Harwell

Summary of Measurements at the EMEP Supersites
(with links to the responsible monitoring networks)


Measurement


Method


EMEP Level


Auchencorth


Harwell

Water-soluble gases and particles at PM2.5 and PM10

MARGA

1,2,3

UKEAP

UKEAP

Black carbon PM2.5

Aethalometer

2

Black Carbon

Black Carbon

NO/NO2

Photolytic converter

2

UKEAP

UKEAP

Meteorology (wind speed, dir’n., temp., RH, precip’n.)

Automated met station

1

CEH

UKEAP

Ozone

UV photometer

1

AURN

AURN

PM2.5 and PM10 mass (daily)

Filter (gravimetric)

1

AURN

AURN

PM2.5 and PM10 mass (hourly)

TEOM/FDMS

1

AURN

AURN

PAH (vapour and particle)

Digitel hi-vol

2

PAH

PAH

PAH (precipitation)

Bulk sampler

2

PAH

PAH

TOMPS (air)

Hi-vol

2

TOMPS

TOMPS

Hydrocarbons (C2 – C8)

Online GC-FID

2

Hydrocarbons

Hydrocarbons

Particle size and number

SMPS

2

CEH/ACTRIS

Particles

Mercury (elemental) in air

CVAF1

2

Heavy metal

s

Heavy metal

s

Mercury (speciated) in air

CVAF

3

Heavy metal

s

Not measured

Mercury (precipitation)

CVAF

2

Heavy metal

s

Heavy metal

s

Heavy metals PM10 (air)

ICP-MS

2

Heavy metal

s

Heavy metal

s

Heavy metals (precip’n)

ICP-MS

1

Heavy metal

s

Heavy metal

s

Ions in precipitation

Daily wet-only collector:

I.C., pH, conductance

1

UKEAP

UKEAP

Ions in bulk precipitation

Fortnightly bulk measurement

I.C., pH, conductance

1

UKEAP

UKEAP

Acid gases and aerosol (monthly)

Denuders+filters

1,2

UKEAP

UKEAP

Ozone, NOx, SO2 fluxes

Automated analyzers

3

PDP

N/A

Trace gas fluxes

CoTAG

3

PDP

N/A

ECOC (weekly)

Filter

3

Particles

Particles