Weather Watch Begins at WWT Castle Espie with New Climate Monitoring Station
From weather warnings to winter road gritting, a new climate monitoring station at WWT Castle Espie will provide near real-time data to support vital public services and climate research across County Down and beyond.
The solar-powered station has been installed at the WWT Castle Espie nature reserve as part of a partnership between the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT) and the Met Office. It replaces a former Met Office weather station at Ballywatticock on the Ards Peninsula, which closed last year.
Following detailed assessments, WWT Castle Espie was identified as an ideal location, with the site selection being adjacent to Castle Espie’s Limekiln Observatory. The open landscape and topography of WWT sites make them particularly well suited to hosting climate monitoring equipment.
The station records rainfall, air temperature, and grass, soil and concrete temperatures. Data is transmitted around every hour via 5G to the Met Office’s observation systems and is made available to relevant stakeholders, including WWT staff and statutory bodies. This near real-time information helps inform operational decisions such as local weather warnings and winter road gritting.
Over time, the data collected at WWT Castle Espie will help build a detailed picture of changing climate conditions in the Strangford Lough area. This long-term record will support climate research and help inform conservation management at the site, as well as contributing to wider regional and national climate monitoring.
Live air temperature data is also displayed in the WWT Castle Espie visitor centre as ‘dry bulb’ temperature. The name comes from traditional weather tools used to help scientists understand things like humidity and fog. Seeing this reading gives visitors an easy glimpse into how weather is measured and why changes in temperature can shape the conditions we experience each day.
Donald Ferguson from the Met Office explained the significance of the air temperature readings:
“We’re really excited to be working in partnership with WWT Castle Espie to install this climate monitoring station at the site. Finding the right location is crucial for high-quality weather observations, and the site offers excellent conditions for collecting reliable data. This station will help strengthen our weather monitoring network in Northern Ireland, while also supporting WWT’s conservation work and helping a wide range of users benefit from accurate, local weather information.”
Paul Stewart, Centre Manager at WWT Castle Espie, said:
“WWT Castle Espie is delighted to be working with the Met Office to host this climate monitoring station at our location. Wetlands are on the frontline of climate change, and having high-quality, local data will help us better understand how weather and climate are changing over time. As well as supporting essential public services, this information will be invaluable in guiding our conservation work here at WWT Castle Espie and across the wider Strangford Lough area.”
