Soil moisture and Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) measurements within the top metre of soil at Church Field, Chimney Meadow National Nature Reserve. Church Field lies on a clay lens which overlies surrounding sand and gravel soils. Apart from the A and B horizons, the clay was found to be fairly homogenous down to the maximum depth of 1.1m of the access pit. On the 1:250,000 Soil Map of South East England the location falls into the soils category 832 Kelmscott Association which comprise mostly permeable fine loamy soils over limestone gravel and variably affected by groundwater and with some risk of flooding. However, on the more detailed 1:25,000 scale Sand and Gravel Resources Map of the Thames Valley the clay lens is depicted as Oxford Clay substrate without sand and gravel cover, surrounded by sand and gravel terraces cropping out at the surface. Full details about this dataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/59da8e86-04cc-4f46-a23c-65513d025326

This dataset contains high-resolution (5-minute) discharge, turbidity, suspended sediment concentration, and total phosphorus concentration data measured at three stream sites in the Littlestock Brook catchment (a tributary of the River Evenlode) from 2017 to 2021. The turbidity and concentration data were derived from a combination of instream sensors and lab-analysed water samples. Discharge data were derived using a stage-discharge rating curve constructed from manual measurements of flow velocity and water level sensor measurements. This dataset was collected by UKCEH as part of a hydrological monitoring programme for the Littlestock Brook Natural Flood Management scheme. There are some periods of data gaps within the timeseries as a result of sensor errors which have been excluded. These data may be used to calculate suspended sediment and phosphorus fluxes loads leaving the catchment. This work was supported by the Natural Environment Research Council (Grant NE/L002531/1). Full details about this dataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/9f80e349-0594-4ae1-bff3-b055638569f8

This dataset includes a description of the flora on Somerford Mead, Oxford for the period 1987 to 2014. During the period 1991 to 2014, a grazing experiment was conducted on the meadow, in which individual plots were either grazed by sheep, grazed by cattle or left ungrazed following the annual hay cut. The data consist of list of all plant species found at sample locations within each plot together with an estimate of abundance. Full details about this dataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/691a823c-d1da-4420-837c-3c30ce83818b

[This dataset is embargoed until August 31, 2024]. This dataset contains high-resolution (5-minute) raw, atmospheric corrected and mean sea level adjusted water level data for 9 flood storage areas (FSAs) in the Littlestock Brook catchment (a tributary of the River Evenlode, Thames Basin) from 2018 to 2022. The dataset also includes the estimated 9 x FSA stored volume time-series, estimated using a depth-stored volume lookup table for each FSA, produced from a digital elevation model of each feature and a depth-area-volume toolset. The annual barometric pressure time-series used to correct water level is also provided. This dataset was collected by UKCEH as part of a hydrological monitoring programme for the Littlestock Brook Natural Flood Management scheme. This work was supported by the SPITFIRE NERC DTP (NE/L002531/1) and the SCENARIO NERC DTP (NE/L002566/1). Full details about this dataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/cf70f798-442a-4775-963c-b6600023830f

This dataset contains counts of pollinators visiting different varieties of oilseed rape (OSR). Data were collected from four trial sites in the UK in May 2012. The trial sites comprised of 20 varieties (plots) replicated in three blocks on each farm but only 2 of the blocks at each site were used for pollinator observations. Pollinator observations were also only made where there were greater than 30 percent of OSR plants in flower in the plot and only when weather conditions were within standardised limits. For each plot per site a six minute observation period was made during which the number of pollinators within the following taxon groups were counted: bumblebees to the species level, solitary bees identified to general body forms (Lasiglossum to genus level; Osmia separated to bicolour and rufa; Andrena separated to body forms typical of dorsata, carantonica, nigroaenea, haemorrhoa, fulva, flavipies, nitida, cineraria, bicolour and minuta), large hoverflies (> 12 mm), small hoverflies (< 11 mm), and Bibionidae. Each variety was observed for two separate six minute periods to reduce the impacts of minor fluctuations in weather that may reduce pollinator observations within single six minute periods. The dataset was collected as part of a project which aimed to identify key pollinators for OSR and identify if there are feeding preferences for individual varieties. Full details about this dataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/d7b25308-3ec7-4cff-8eed-fe20b815f964

This dataset contains plant community data from a hedgerow experiment investigating the effects of cutting regimes on plant species richness. There were four sites, one in Buckinghamshire, two in Oxfordshire and one in Devon. Data were collected in 2016, using 1m x 10m quadrats on each side of the hedgerow at two positions. One quadrat was situated beneath the woody vegetation of the hedge (inner) and one adjacent to the inner quadrat (outer) to sample plant communities growing beside the hedge. Percentage vegetation cover was surveyed up to a height of 80cm. The hedgerow experiment was one of three long running hedgerow experiments focusing on management to maintain and restore the hedgerow resource under agri-environment schemes. These long running experiments were funded by Defra and managed by the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology. Full details about this dataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/cfeceb7e-b6b5-4f40-a1bc-c25f38deeb9f

The dataset contains time series observations of turbulent surface-atmosphere exchanges of sensible heat (H) and momentum (τ) measured at an area of ancient broadleaved deciduous forest in Oxfordshire, UK (Wytham Woods). Turbulent flux densities were monitored from the top of a forest tower using the micrometeorological eddy covariance (EC) technique between 2014-06-13 13:00 and 2016-01-04 22:00. The dataset includes ancillary weather and soil physics observations, as well as variables describing atmospheric turbulence and the quality of the turbulent flux observations. Data were collected by staff from the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Wallingford. Full details about this dataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/9b9ae2fe-e545-4209-b35f-e2ef6231dfe6

[This dataset is embargoed until August 31, 2024]. This dataset contains information about soil near-surface physical and hydrological properties, vegetation observations and land use & management information across the Thames catchment (UK). It was collected during the ‘Landwise’ project’s ‘Broad-scale field survey’ which sampled 1836 location points across a total of 164 fields/land parcels. The aim of the survey was to quantify the impact of innovative land use and management on soil properties, with implications for natural flood management. The surveyed fields were selected to represent four broad land use and management classes (arable with and without grass in rotation, permanent grassland and broadleaf woodland) and five generalised soil/geology classes. Approximately eight fields were sampled for each of the twenty combinations of land use and soil/geology class. The sampled fields cover a range of traditional and innovative agricultural practices. Within each field/parcel, representative sampling locations were selected to cover the anticipated range of soil variability, including typical infield, untrafficked margins and trafficked headlands/tramlines etc. Sampling was undertaken once during the period 2018-2021. Samples were measured and analysed using a range of field and laboratory techniques (see Data Lineage). Point data include: 1. Survey point location (British National Grid coordinates) 2. Soil quantitative measurements (near-surface: 0 – 50 mm below ground level): dry bulk density, volumetric water content, organic matter, derived porosity, derived porosity accounting for variable organic matter, particle size distribution and texture classification 3. Vegetation quantitative measurements: maximum and minimum height 4. Soil qualitative measurements: hand texture classification, aggregate stability test slaking and dispersion results, hydrochloric acid test for calcareous soil, and for a subset of locations Visual Evaluation of Soil Structure (VESS) score 5. Observations (also classified into groups): soil surface condition (e.g. slaked/unslaked/capped/poached etc.), vegetation type Field contextual data include: 1. Land owner/manager responses to a land use and management questionnaire (primary data) including information on: crop types/rotation, cover crops, herbal leys, organic or conventional, organic amendments, lime additions, tillage, last ploughed, tramlines, buffer strips, field drainage, grass species, livestock, last grazed, stocking density, grazing weeks per year, stock out-wintering, mob or paddock grazing, woodland management, tree species, woodland age, path management, land use history, flooding history, waterlogging, water or sediment runoff 2. Classification of selected questionnaire free text responses into categories (derived secondary data) 3. General field observations (primary data) including: slope gradient and shape, surface form, surface water, surface condition (slaking, capped, ruts, wheelings, poaching etc.), soil erosion or deposition features As agreed with the survey participants, this dataset has been anonymised by removing location specific information, such as farm and field names, along with any other personally identifiable information. As also agreed, point data location coordinates have been degraded to the nearest 1 km grid point. The dataset was co-produced by the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology and Landwise Partners as part of the Landwise Natural Flood Management project, supported by the Natural Environment Research Council (Grant NE/R004668/1). The participation and assistance of the land owners and managers is gratefully acknowledged. Full details about this dataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/9ab5285f-e9c4-4588-ba21-476e79e87668