With more than 40,000 lakes represented, a third of those with detailed information on their catchments, the scale of this new portal hosted by the CEH is unprecedented for freshwater research in the UK.

The portal includes physical, environmental, and water chemistry data compiled from an extensive set of sources over many years. In addition, integration with the National Biodiversity Network displays biology data, while anyone can observe and record species observations at any lake in the UK, using iRecord to contribute new information.

Alongside development of the portal, a comprehensive freshwater species list for the UK has been created, including information on non-native species. This will be integrated into the portal as part of a move to create an extensive Natural Capital Hub for UK lakes, aligning the portal with a landscape approach to ecological research.  We also hope to add the list to the UK Species Inventory to enable its wider use within the NBN.

Laurence Carvalho, Freshwater Ecologist at the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology said “The UK Lakes Portal is a fantastic new resource for both scientists and the local citizen scientist interested in finding out more about their local lake and the biodiversity found within it. It has the potential to help us value the benefits we gain from UK lakes and answer questions such as how well connected is biodiversity across UK Lakes and how fast are invasive species spreading across UK freshwaters?”

Image: Wast Water in the English Lake District c. Alan Lawlor

You can read the full news story on the CEH website here.

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