Blogs
A dull dry May makes for an average Spring
As we take the tentative steps into summer, it’s time to look back on the Spring weather at Invergowrie.
After our ninth wettest March months on record, then an average April, a dry May has meant Spring was, overall, average, across the three months.
It was in fact the 13th driest May on record since 1954, with less than half of the long term average rainfall, at 24.8 mm, with 10.7 mm of that falling on May 10. This made the total rainfall across Spring 149.9 mm.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this blog post are the views of the author(s), and not an official position of the institute or funder.
Taking the northeast for granted or wanting what’s next?
Uploaded on behalf of Colin Campbell
It’s sometimes easy to take what we have for granted and to lose sight of the positives. We have to take a step back and look at the bigger picture to really appreciate what we have and what we have achieved despite adversity.
That’s just what happened at last week’s Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce’s Investment Tracker launch here at The James Hutton Institute in Aberdeen.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this blog post are the views of the author(s), and not an official position of the institute or funder.
Scotland’s rivers – a picture of health or under threat?
Water underpins everything we do. We need clean water to live, but we need waters that are suitable for river life to thrive. With increasing concerns about water pollution, we take a look at what the threats are here in Scotland – and what we can do about them.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this blog post are the views of the author(s), and not an official position of the institute or funder.
Case study: COVID wastewater
A team from BioSS (Biomathematics and Statistics Scotland) played an important role in understanding the spread of COVID-19 in Scotland by developing a system capable of rapidly analysing data tracking the presence of the virus in wastewater samples.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this blog post are the views of the author(s), and not an official position of the institute or funder.
The James Hutton Institute at the Scottish Skipper Expo 2023
Uploaded on behalf of Phoebe Somervail
The James Hutton Institute will be attending the Scottish Skipper Expo at the P&J Live in Aberdeen on the 12th and 13th of May. The institute will be represented by members of the Social, Economic and Geographical Sciences (SEGS) department who are working on an EU funded HORIZON 2020 project entitled “LOWINFOOD – Multi Actor Design of Low-Waste Food Value Supply Chains”.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this blog post are the views of the author(s), and not an official position of the institute or funder.
Typical April brings big swings in air temperature
The old saying is “April showers bring May flowers”. Or as Chaucer (In Neville Coghill’s version) has it:
When in April the sweet showers fall
And pierce the drought of March to the root, and all
And veins are bathed in liquor of such power
As brings about the engendering of the flower
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this blog post are the views of the author(s), and not an official position of the institute or funder.
Scottish arable farmers sought agri-environmental incentive programs study
Researchers at The James Hutton Institute in Dundee are searching for arable farmers in Aberdeenshire, Angus, Perth and Kinross, Fife, Stirlingshire and the Central Belt to take part in a study on funding programs to support on farm biodiversity.
The objective of this study is to identify what is important to farmers when deciding on funding sources to support bringing in new, more biodiversity-friendly practices.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this blog post are the views of the author(s), and not an official position of the institute or funder.
Ninth wettest March on record at Invergowrie
Spring may now have sprung, but it was our ninth wettest March on record last month, with cooler temperatures than we’ve seen in recent years.
According to our weather data, gathered at our Invergowrie site, close to Dundee, since 1954, there was 78.8 mm of rain in March, or 170% of the 30-year long-term average. A lot of that rain fell on one day – Sunday, March 12 – when a total of 28.4 mm of rainfall (~36% of the total) was recorded.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this blog post are the views of the author(s), and not an official position of the institute or funder.
