#294: Natural History Podcasts #9 - 'Counting the Earth'

The podcast series 'Counting the Earth' is a great series of podcasts.

It was trailed here...

🪱Delve into the vital statistics of earthworms, as we uncover the unsung heroes of our soil - episode 3 of #CountingTheEarth is coming soon!

Check your #podcast feeds next week...🎧

Not subscribed yet? Find out more: https://t.co/Gafd94A3SI @boffin_media @ScienceNelson pic.twitter.com/7LCdSFcD6j

— UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (@UK_CEH) February 22, 2024

& the first episodes are now up for you to listen to...

 

#192: CEH: Centre for Ecology and Hydrology

The UK's Centre for Ecology and Hydrology has been around for decades. 

I remember their work when completing my degree.

The UKCEH Countryside Survey has collected data for more than 40 years to show how our water, land and air, and the animals and plants that depend on them, are changing over time.

Data from nature, for nature 💚

See more: https://t.co/VXjZZE4IL9#DataNature @AngusGarbutt pic.twitter.com/vA1yUlaL6u

— UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (@UK_CEH) November 25, 2023

In addition to their datasets, I had a look for other material that might be of use for the new GCSE Natural History potentially.

The site has a section entitled 'Factsheets'.

There is one on Saltmarshes and one on Peatland.

 

#77: Saltmarsh App

Saltmarshes are an interesting ecosystem and the UK has quite a few of them.

There is a Saltmarsh app available to download.

It is a citizen science app inviting people to submit surveys.

It has a useful section which shows saltmarsh plants to help identify them. This will be helpful for anyone going on, or preparing for a field visit to a saltmarsh.

When I taught 'A' level geography in a previous school in West Norfolk, we used to have an annual trip to the coast for fieldwork. I think those schools who would beable to get to a saltmarsh should consider visiting one. 

There is a good opportunity to test a whole range of fieldwork skills in these environments, and they carry a range of risks to assess as well.

The website, from which the app can be downloaded has a useful guide to saltmarshes.

You can identify the locations of your nearest Saltmarsh using the MAGiC app (see the separate posts on this interactive map to see how it works). I've added the layer below and zoomed into the area of the Wash.