and Public Participation
Plantwatch: a divided nationGuardian Unlimited | 23 Feb 2011Britain has been a divided nation this month - the north dogged by cold winds, the south largely mild and balmy. So it's small wonder that the early spring flowers are barely showing in Scotland and Northern Ireland, but in the southern half of the country spring is well under way – snowdrops, celandines, daffodils, crocuses and hazel catkins are coming into bloom and the leaf buds of elder trees starting to break open.
United Kingdom | Biodiversity | Biodiversity Conservation | Weather Conditions Pollutionwatch: UK spared in JanuaryGuardian Unlimited | 09 Feb 2011The absence of prolonged cold periods in January meant that most urban areas of the UK were spared widespread pollution. But coal and oil heating continued to cause high concentrations of airborne particles across Northern Ireland, with the main focus being Derry and Armagh on the last two weekends of the month. Big industry also caused brief air pollution problems in Wales, Scotland and England.
United Kingdom | Air Pollution | Urban Areas | Weather Conditions The weather in JanuaryGuardian Unlimited | 07 Feb 2011A period of cold, wintry weather in Scotland up to 11 January was followed by a mild and wet spell across the UK between 12 and 16 January. Anticyclonic conditions early in the month gave way to a prevalence of low pressure, then mild south-westerlies, and between 7 and 17 January there was a lot of rain, some of it heavy. High pressure built again through the second half of the month, leading to a drier, colder last week or so.
United Kingdom | Climate and Atmosphere | Global Warming | Local Issues | Weather Conditions Weatherwatch: A winter walk in GrasmereGuardian Unlimited | 11 Dec 2010Saturday, 12 December 1801, was a fine frosty morning, with snow upon the ground in the Lake District. "All looked chearful and bright. Helm Crag rose very bold and craggy, a being by itself, and behind it was the large Ridge of mountain smooth as marble and snow white," wrote Dorothy Wordsworth in her Grasmere Journals 1800-1803. "The snow hid all the grass and all signs of vegetation and the Rocks shewed themselves boldly everywhere and seemed more stony than Rock or stone.
England | Local Issues | Weather Conditions Swans' early arrival hints at cold winterGuardian Unlimited | 19 Oct 2010Bewick's swans fly in to Slimbridge from Siberia in time for temperatures to drop below freezing. The first Bewick's swans of the season have arrived in the UK, potentially signalling the start of a bitter winter, as temperatures are forecast to drop below freezing in the next few days. According...
England | Biodiversity | Weather Conditions Why Britain has became much less windy over the past 30 yearsDaily Mail | 18 Oct 2010Since the 1970s, the average near surface wind speeds across Europe have dropped by between 10 to 15 per cent. Flags hang more limply, kites are struggling to get aloft and the washing takes a little longer to dry. According to an astonishing new study, the weather has got noticeably less windy over the last few decades. Since the 1970s, the average near surface wind speeds across Europe have dropped by between 10 to 15 per cent.
Weather Conditions UK honeybee numbers decline after harsh winterGuardian Unlimited | 24 May 2010Some 17% of the UK's honeybees were lost over the winter, though a resurgence in beekeeping offers hope that numbers will riseHoneybee numbers in the UK dropped again over the winter, though the rate of decline appears to have slowed slightly despite the harsh weather.In an encouraging note, the...
England | Habitat Loss | Weather Conditions