UK Environmental Change Network (ECN) Cairngorm environmental and phenological data derived from fixed-point repeat photography, 2002-2019

This dataset includes the dates and/or duration of all the environmental and phenological events that could be derived from a series of photographs taken by a fixed-point repeat camera system at the UK Environmental Change Network (ECN) site in the Cairngorms National Park, Scotland.

The data covers the timing of permanent winter snow fall and subsequent spring melt on northern and eastern facing hill slopes between 2002 and 2019, as well as invertebrate (spittlebug spittlemass) and plant (heather flowering, scots pine leaf flushing) phenological events between 2010 and 2019.

Three photographs were taken on a daily basis to maximise the chances of cloud free images, with the clearest image used for analysis. Event detection was generally achieved using manual assessment, but heather flowering showed a high degree of subjectivity, and so an automated pixel colour counting method was used to determine the peak flowering season.

This work was supported by the Natural Environment Research Council award number NE/R016429/1 as part of the UK-SCAPE programme delivering National Capability.