UK Critical Load Exceedance for Acidity and Nitrogen 2016-2018

1x1 km resolution maps quantify the excess acid and nitrogen deposition above protective thresholds for sensitive UK 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 2016-2018. It was generated 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 regions at highest risk from acid deposition.
• Compare exceedance levels for thirteen nutrient nitrogen-sensitive habitats to prioritize conservation efforts.
• Model the relationship between 5x5 km Concentration Based Estimated Deposition (CBED) data and the resulting 1x1 km AAE values.
• Assess policy effectiveness by tracking changes in the area and amount of critical load exceedance over time.

Strengths

• Provides 1x1 km spatial resolution for detailed environmental analysis.
• Covers two distinct pollutant types (acidity and nutrient nitrogen) across 21 total habitat categories.
• Based on authoritative UK 5x5 km CBED deposition data for a defined three-year period (2016-2018).

Limitations

• Temporal coverage is limited to a specific three-year snapshot (2016-2018), not a continuous time series.
• Spatial coverage is restricted to the United Kingdom, limiting broader geographical analysis.
• The underlying methodology and assumptions for critical load and AAE calculations may require domain expertise to interpret correctly.

Provenance

Source

Environmental Information Data Centre

Collection Method

Calculated using UK 5x5 km Concentration Based Estimated Deposition (CBED) data under Defra-funded work.

Time Range

2016-2018

Freshness

null

Geography

United Kingdom