UK Habitat Critical Load Exceedance Maps For 2013-2015

United Kingdom 1x1 km resolution maps quantify excess acid and nitrogen deposition above ecological tolerance thresholds for sensitive habitats. The dataset contains Average Accumulated Exceedance (AAE) calculations for eight acidity-sensitive and thirteen nutrient nitrogen-sensitive habitats, derived from 5x5 km UK deposition data for 2013-2015. It was produced by the Environmental Information Data Centre to inform government policy on reducing emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and ammonia.

Use Cases

• Spatially analyze the AAE for eight acidity-sensitive habitats to identify geographic hotspots of acid deposition risk.
• Model the correlation between 5x5 km CBED deposition data and the calculated 1x1 km AAE values for thirteen nutrient nitrogen habitats.
• Assess policy effectiveness by tracking changes in the area and amount of critical load exceedance for acid- and nitrogen-sensitive ecosystems over time.
• Prioritize habitat protection efforts by comparing AAE values across different habitat types to determine the most vulnerable regions.

Strengths

• Provides 1x1 km spatial resolution for detailed geographic analysis of exceedance.
• Covers two distinct ecological threats: acidity for eight habitats and nutrient nitrogen for thirteen habitats.
• Based on authoritative UK 5x5 km Concentration Based Estimated Deposition (CBED) data for a defined 2013-2015 period.

Limitations

• Temporal coverage is limited to a single three-year period (2013-2015), which may not reflect current conditions.
• Analysis is restricted to the United Kingdom, limiting applicability for global or comparative regional studies.
• The underlying 5x5 km CBED data imposes a coarser granularity constraint on the deposition inputs for the 1x1 km AAE calculations.

Provenance

Source

Environmental Information Data Centre

Collection Method

Calculated using UK 5x5 km Concentration Based Estimated Deposition (CBED) data.

Time Range

2013-2015

Freshness

Data reflects conditions from 2013-2015; last metadata update was 2026-03 11.

Geography

United Kingdom