COSMOS-UK
@cosmosuk.bsky.social
The COsmic-ray Soil Moisture Observing System (COSMOS-UK) is a real-time weather & soil moisture monitoring network run by the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology
November #siteofthemonth is Spen Farm, at the University of Leeds ‘Smart Farm’, a research farm working with industry and academics to tackle modern agricultural challenges. The farm hosts a range monitoring research tools alongside COSMOS-UK to measure the impact of agriculture on the environment.
November 24, 2025 at 2:47 PM
November #siteofthemonth is Spen Farm, at the University of Leeds ‘Smart Farm’, a research farm working with industry and academics to tackle modern agricultural challenges. The farm hosts a range monitoring research tools alongside COSMOS-UK to measure the impact of agriculture on the environment.
Daily COSMOS-UK soil wetness status for the month of October 2025
November 5, 2025 at 1:56 PM
Daily COSMOS-UK soil wetness status for the month of October 2025
October #siteofthemonth is Loddington, East Midlands, run by the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust Allerton Project, researching new farming methods so that commercial farming and environmental rejuvenation can co-exist. The clay soils protected crops from the worst of this year’s dry conditions.
October 28, 2025 at 12:12 PM
October #siteofthemonth is Loddington, East Midlands, run by the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust Allerton Project, researching new farming methods so that commercial farming and environmental rejuvenation can co-exist. The clay soils protected crops from the worst of this year’s dry conditions.
Daily COSMOS-UK soil wetness for the month of September 2025.
October 6, 2025 at 9:50 AM
Daily COSMOS-UK soil wetness for the month of September 2025.
Our September siteofthemonth is Cwm Garw, on the southern side of the Preseli Mountains in Pembrokeshire, on a sheep farm, run by independent landowners. We are always grateful to the support of our site hosts – be they part of a large estate, a farming collaborative or operating single-handedly.
September 23, 2025 at 3:30 PM
Our September siteofthemonth is Cwm Garw, on the southern side of the Preseli Mountains in Pembrokeshire, on a sheep farm, run by independent landowners. We are always grateful to the support of our site hosts – be they part of a large estate, a farming collaborative or operating single-handedly.
August #siteofthemonth is Gisburn Forest, managed by bsky.app/profile/fore... a leading research agency focusing on sustainable forestry and adaptive practices in a time of environmental and climate change. The site at Gisburn lies at the eastern edge of the Forest of Bowland, on rough grassland.
August 21, 2025 at 4:24 PM
August #siteofthemonth is Gisburn Forest, managed by bsky.app/profile/fore... a leading research agency focusing on sustainable forestry and adaptive practices in a time of environmental and climate change. The site at Gisburn lies at the eastern edge of the Forest of Bowland, on rough grassland.
A small step towards a global soil moisture network was made when the COSMOS-UK team demonstrated the COSMOS-UK test site at UKCEH Wallingford to meteorologists from Ghana. The visitors hope that, with UKCEH collaboration and support, Ghana will be able to establish a similar network of its own.
July 16, 2025 at 8:19 AM
A small step towards a global soil moisture network was made when the COSMOS-UK team demonstrated the COSMOS-UK test site at UKCEH Wallingford to meteorologists from Ghana. The visitors hope that, with UKCEH collaboration and support, Ghana will be able to establish a similar network of its own.
July #siteofthemonth is Glensaugh, the most northerly and highest of the COSMOS-UK network. This research farm, run by @hutton.ac.uk, is developing innovative climate-positive farming practices to achieve net-zero (or negative) carbon whilst protecting natural assets and financial sustainability.
July 15, 2025 at 4:01 PM
July #siteofthemonth is Glensaugh, the most northerly and highest of the COSMOS-UK network. This research farm, run by @hutton.ac.uk, is developing innovative climate-positive farming practices to achieve net-zero (or negative) carbon whilst protecting natural assets and financial sustainability.
Registration is now open for the 'Land and water in a changing climate' event. This event on 24 September at the Royal Society will bring together modellers, industry and practitioners to share new developments and visions for the future. Register today - enterprise.mitingu.com/ceh-events/l...
July 7, 2025 at 3:56 PM
Registration is now open for the 'Land and water in a changing climate' event. This event on 24 September at the Royal Society will bring together modellers, industry and practitioners to share new developments and visions for the future. Register today - enterprise.mitingu.com/ceh-events/l...
Last week we welcomed Glenn Watts, new Associate Director for Water & Climate Science, to the COSMOS-UK site at Sheepdrove – seen here with technical lead Phil Vincent. Glenn learned about the monitoring network, heard about its successes to date and the challenges as it enters its second decade.
June 24, 2025 at 9:33 AM
Last week we welcomed Glenn Watts, new Associate Director for Water & Climate Science, to the COSMOS-UK site at Sheepdrove – seen here with technical lead Phil Vincent. Glenn learned about the monitoring network, heard about its successes to date and the challenges as it enters its second decade.
June #siteofthemonth is Henfaes, part of the Henfaes Research Centre, Bangor University, where research takes place at sea-level up to some of the highest points of Eryri National Park (Snowdonia), sponsored by stakeholders such as DEFRA, Welsh Government, NERC, the EU and industry.
June 13, 2025 at 12:47 PM
June #siteofthemonth is Henfaes, part of the Henfaes Research Centre, Bangor University, where research takes place at sea-level up to some of the highest points of Eryri National Park (Snowdonia), sponsored by stakeholders such as DEFRA, Welsh Government, NERC, the EU and industry.
Daily COSMOS-UK soil wetness status for the month of May 2025 and what a month it was! Look at those green, yellow and even orange colours.
June 5, 2025 at 8:32 AM
Daily COSMOS-UK soil wetness status for the month of May 2025 and what a month it was! Look at those green, yellow and even orange colours.
May #siteofthemonth is Heytesbury, located in the middle of Salisbury plain, Wiltshire. Like many of the sites in the south of England, soil moisture readings have fallen sharply across all soil depths: cosmos.ceh.ac.uk/sites/HYBRY, evidenced by the breaking up of the soil surface in this image.
May 20, 2025 at 9:45 AM
May #siteofthemonth is Heytesbury, located in the middle of Salisbury plain, Wiltshire. Like many of the sites in the south of England, soil moisture readings have fallen sharply across all soil depths: cosmos.ceh.ac.uk/sites/HYBRY, evidenced by the breaking up of the soil surface in this image.
The COSMOS-UK soil moisture summary for April reports the lowest April soil moisture levels for quarter of UK network sites. Read how the driest spring in England since 1961 is affecting an independent farmer hosting the Fincham site in north-west Norfolk: cosmos.ceh.ac.uk/News_Events
May 19, 2025 at 10:21 AM
The COSMOS-UK soil moisture summary for April reports the lowest April soil moisture levels for quarter of UK network sites. Read how the driest spring in England since 1961 is affecting an independent farmer hosting the Fincham site in north-west Norfolk: cosmos.ceh.ac.uk/News_Events
Daily COSMOS-UK Soil Wetness status for the month of April 2025
May 6, 2025 at 12:34 PM
Daily COSMOS-UK Soil Wetness status for the month of April 2025
Today sees the start of the next #BigRiverWatch (25.04.25 – 01.05.25), organised by The Rivers Trust. Monitoring the state of our rivers is critical for sustaining important freshwater ecosystems and for driving positive action on river health.
April 25, 2025 at 10:41 AM
Today sees the start of the next #BigRiverWatch (25.04.25 – 01.05.25), organised by The Rivers Trust. Monitoring the state of our rivers is critical for sustaining important freshwater ecosystems and for driving positive action on river health.
April #siteofthemonth is Hillsborough, at Agri Food and Bio Sciences Institute, Northern Ireland. @afbini.gov.uk is a leading provider of scientific research in agriculture, animal health, food, environment and biosciences. The COSMOS-UK site is on flat, well-grazed grassland on a sandy loam soil.
April 25, 2025 at 10:31 AM
April #siteofthemonth is Hillsborough, at Agri Food and Bio Sciences Institute, Northern Ireland. @afbini.gov.uk is a leading provider of scientific research in agriculture, animal health, food, environment and biosciences. The COSMOS-UK site is on flat, well-grazed grassland on a sandy loam soil.
The COSMOS-UK 2025 maintenance programme starts TODAY at our Stoughton site! A big thank you to all our UK site hosts for supporting this critical work so that we can continue to provide the near-real time soil moisture data for farming, water resources, flood forecasting and land-surface modelling.
April 8, 2025 at 10:47 AM
The COSMOS-UK 2025 maintenance programme starts TODAY at our Stoughton site! A big thank you to all our UK site hosts for supporting this critical work so that we can continue to provide the near-real time soil moisture data for farming, water resources, flood forecasting and land-surface modelling.
The daily COSMOS-UK soil wetness map for the month of March 2024. Look how it's changing to drier conditions as the month progresses, particularly in the south.
April 7, 2025 at 8:47 AM
The daily COSMOS-UK soil wetness map for the month of March 2024. Look how it's changing to drier conditions as the month progresses, particularly in the south.
March #siteofthemonth is Holme Lacy, between two fields of crops that are part of the Holme Lacy College Pound Farm, an organic mixed farm of 230 hectares, producing potatoes, wheat, oats, pea and barley mix, beans and cider apples. A strong emphasis is placed on low carbon, renewable technologies.
March 25, 2025 at 4:48 PM
March #siteofthemonth is Holme Lacy, between two fields of crops that are part of the Holme Lacy College Pound Farm, an organic mixed farm of 230 hectares, producing potatoes, wheat, oats, pea and barley mix, beans and cider apples. A strong emphasis is placed on low carbon, renewable technologies.
Water in soil is what the COSMOS-UK network monitors, run by UKCEH. So World Water Day, on 22 March 2025, is an important one to shout about. Coordinated by UN-Water, the theme for 2025 is Glacier Preservation highlighting the grave concerns for the world and the UK caused by glacier retreats.
March 20, 2025 at 11:37 AM
Water in soil is what the COSMOS-UK network monitors, run by UKCEH. So World Water Day, on 22 March 2025, is an important one to shout about. Coordinated by UN-Water, the theme for 2025 is Glacier Preservation highlighting the grave concerns for the world and the UK caused by glacier retreats.
The daily COSMOS-UK soil wetness map for the month of February 2025
March 10, 2025 at 5:18 PM
The daily COSMOS-UK soil wetness map for the month of February 2025
Feb 2025 #siteofthemonth is Balruddery Farm, run by @hutton.ac.uk on 170 hectares of arable farm, 7 miles west of Dundee. The farm includes the Centre for Sustainable Cropping, providing an open research facility for studies of arable biodiversity, soil health, pollution and crop productivity.
February 24, 2025 at 11:26 AM
Feb 2025 #siteofthemonth is Balruddery Farm, run by @hutton.ac.uk on 170 hectares of arable farm, 7 miles west of Dundee. The farm includes the Centre for Sustainable Cropping, providing an open research facility for studies of arable biodiversity, soil health, pollution and crop productivity.