UK Protected Sites Nitrogen and Sulphur Deposition Source Attribution

90 source footprints of nitrogen and sulphur deposition across the UK on a 5 x 5 km grid, derived from 2012 emissions data. The dataset provides minimum, maximum, and gridded average deposition values for Special Areas of Conservation, Special Protection Areas, and Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Pollutants are split into wet and dry deposition, with habitat-specific data for forest, moorland, and grid average land cover types.

Use Cases

• Model source attribution of nitrogen and sulphur deposition footprints to assess impact on Special Protection Areas.
• Analyze differences between wet and dry deposition patterns across forest and moorland habitats within protected sites.
• Compare local versus long-range source contributions to deposition values on the 5 x 5 km grid for Special Areas of Conservation.
• Map gridded average deposition values against Sites of Special Scientific Interest to identify high-exposure regions.

Strengths

• Provides 90 distinct source footprints for detailed attribution analysis.
• Data is modeled on a 5 x 5 km grid for fine-resolution spatial analysis across the UK.
• Includes habitat-specific breakdowns for forest, moorland, and a composite grid average.

Limitations

• Based on 2012 emissions data, which may not reflect current atmospheric conditions.
• Sample data and specific row/column counts are unavailable, limiting initial assessment of data structure.
• Focus on UK protected sites limits direct applicability to other geographic regions.

Provenance

Source

Environmental Information Data Centre, funded by UK pollution and conservation agencies.

Collection Method

Generated using the FRAME (Fine Resolution Atmospheric Multi-Pollutant Exchange) atmospheric dispersion model.

Time Range

Emission data from 2012.

Freshness

Last updated in March 2026, but underlying emission data is from 2012.

Geography

United Kingdom.