UKRI - Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) has confirmed £38 million funding for the first UK-wide floods and droughts research infrastructure.
The new Floods and Droughts Research Infrastructure (FDRI) will significantly improve understanding of how, when and where floods and droughts occur in different parts of the country, informing action improve our resilience to the increasing impacts of climate change on people, the economy and nature.
The DRI will be developed by NERC, jointly leading with the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (UKCEH), in partnership with the British Geological Survey, Imperial College London and the University of Bristol.
The FDRI comprising fixed and mobile measuring equipment in river catchments in different parts of the UK, will monitor the entire water environment – on a much bigger scale than previously. It will integrate data on evaporation, soil moisture, weather, groundwater and river flows for the first time, making them easily available for researchers.
The FDRI team will take advantage of cutting-edge technologies including advanced computer modelling, artificial intelligence and drone footage to deliver near real-time data and improve our understanding of floods and droughts.
To read more, visit the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology.