The dataset contains results from surveys recording the cover and area of aquatic macrophytes at four transects on the River Lambourn, collected monthly between March 11 2009 and September 30 2014. The River Lambourn is a tributary of the River Thames, the principal river in the south-east of England. The CEH River Lambourn Observatory comprises a 600 m reach of river and 24 acres of associated water meadows at Boxford, Berkshire. The surveys were designed to provide an estimate of the area and cover of the three most common aquatic macrophytes and an estimate of the area of the wetted channel at four transects. The species recorded were Ranunculus penicillatus ssp. pseudofluitans (with Ranunculus penicillatus ssp. pseudofluitans x Ranunculus peltatus hybrid also present), Callitriche platycarpa (with some Callitriche obtusanglia) and Berula erecta. The four transects were selected in order to represent a combination of shallow/fast flowing areas and deeper/slower flowing areas, as well as shaded and unshaded reaches. Full details about this dataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/37f0ab37-78f1-4ca6-b51f-950e43977b16

The dataset contains carbon dioxide and methane emissions, as well as resorufin production (as a proxy for microbial metabolic activity) and dissolved oxygen concentrations, resulting from laboratory incubation experiments of streambed sediments. The sediments were collected from the upper 10 centimetres of the streambed in the River Tern and the River Lambourn in September 2015, with three samples collected from each river. These samples were collected from three areas: silt-dominated sediment underneath vegetation (fine), sand-dominated sediment from unvegetated zones (medium) and gravel-dominated sediment from unvegetated zones (coarse). The sediment was used in laboratory incubation experiments to determine the effect of temperature, organic matter content, substrate type and geological origin on streambed microbial metabolic activity, and carbon dioxide and methane production. The work was carried out as part of a Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) funded PhD (NERC award number 1602135). The work was also part funded through the Seventh Framework Programme (EU grant number 607150). Full details about this dataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/3a0a5132-797c-4ed5-98b9-1c17eaa2f2b7

This dataset provides the location details of Environmental Change Network (ECN) sites from which data are collected. There are 12 terrestrial sites and 45 freshwater sites. Sites range from upland to lowland, moor land to chalk grassland, small ponds and streams to large rivers and lakes. ECN is the UK's long-term environmental monitoring programme. A wide range of integrated physical, chemical and biological variables which drive and respond to environmental change are collated, quality controlled and made freely available for scientific research. The data form an important evidence base for UK environmental policy development. ECN is a multi-agency programme sponsored by a consortium of fourteen government departments and agencies. These organisations contribute to the programme through funding either site monitoring and/or network co-ordination activities. These organisations are: Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute, Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru - Natural Resources Wales, Defence Science & Technology Laboratory, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Environment Agency, Forestry Commission, Llywodraeth Cymru - Welsh Government, Natural England, Natural Environment Research Council, Northern Ireland Environment Agency, Scottish Environment Protection Agency, Scottish Government and Scottish Natural Heritage.