2 published papers from NERC grant NE/G016879/1. Palaeosol Control of Arsenic Pollution:The Bengal Basin in West Bengal, India by by U. Ghosal, P.K. Sikdar, and J.M. McArthur. Tracing recharge to aquifers beneath an Asian megacity with Cl/Br and stable isotopes: the example of Dhaka, Bangladesh by M. A. Hoque, J. M. McArthur, P. K. Sikdar, J. D. Ball and T. N. Molla (DOI 10.1007/s10040-014-1155-8)

Programme of research funded by the Natural Environment Research Council. URGENT aims to stimulate the regeneration of the urban environment through understanding and managing the interaction of natural and man-made processes. Projects throughout the UK first set up in 1997 and completed in 2005. It was supported by partners from British industry, local authorities and Government agencies. A total of 40 URGENT projects in four key areas - air, water, soil and ecology. The projects aim was to determine the magnitude of urban environmental problems and risks, to understand the underlying patterns and processes that affect them, and to produce effective strategies for control and managment which will be accessible to users both in the UK and abroad.

The Environment Agency and Natural Resources Wales have updated its groundwater vulnerability map to reflect improvements in data mapping, modelling capability and understanding of the factors affecting vulnerability. Two new maps are available which show the vulnerability of groundwater to a pollutant discharged at ground level. The potential impact of groundwater pollution is considered using the aquifer designation status which provides an indication of the scale and importance of groundwater for potable water supply and/or in supporting baseflow to rivers, lakes and wetlands. This dataset for Wales has shared intellectual property (IP) between Natural Resources Wales and British Geological Survey.

The Environment Agency has updated its groundwater vulnerability map to reflect improvements in data mapping, modelling capability and understanding of the factors affecting vulnerability. Two new maps are available which show the vulnerability of groundwater to a pollutant discharged at ground level. The potential impact of groundwater pollution is considered using the aquifer designation status which provides an indication of the scale and importance of groundwater for potable water supply and/or in supporting baseflow to rivers, lakes and wetlands. This dataset has shared IP (Intellectual Property) between Environment Agency and British Geological Survey. It supersedes the previous Groundwater Vulnerability 100k data released by EA.

Concentrations of total organic carbon (TOC), total petroleum hydrocarbons, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were determined in 84 near-surface soils (5-20 cm depth) taken from a 255 km2 area of Glasgow in the Clyde Basin, UK, during July 2011. Total petroleum hydrocarbon ranged from 79-2,505 mg kg-1 (mean 388 mg kg-1; median 272 mg kg-1) of which the aromatic fraction was 13-74 % (mean 44 %, median 43 %) and saturates were 28-87 % (mean 56 %, median 57 %). Σ16 PAH varied from 2-653 mg kg-1 (mean 32.4 mg kg-1; median 12.5mg kg-1) and Σ31 PAH range was 2.47-852 mg kg-1 (mean 45.4 mg kg-1; median 19.0 mg kg-1). PCB tri-hepta range was 2.2-1052 mg kg-1 (mean 32.4 mg kg-1; median 12.7 mg kg-1) and the ΣPCB7 was 0.3-344 mg kg-1 (mean 9.8 mg kg-1; median 2.7 mg kg-1). This data is associated with the published research paper https://doi.org/10.1017/S1755691018000324 Kim, A.W., Vane, C.H., Moss-Hayes, V. Berriro, D.B., Fordyce, F., Everrett, P. Nathanail, P.C. 2018. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) in urban soils of Glasgow, UK. Earth and Environmental Science Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh 108, 2-3, 231-248.

Records of some 3500 waste sites in England and Wales identified by BGS as part of a survey carried out on behalf of the Department of the Environment in 1973. Information is included on the extent of the site, geology, wastes and risks to aquifers It should be noted that the assessments were carried out when the data was collected and may not reflect current interpretation. There are not records for all of the sites listed.

Oracle index to records of some 3500 waste sites in England and Wales identified by BGS as part of a survey carried out on behalf of the Departement of the Environment in 1973. The index has been corrected and updated to a limited extent, but the data itself has not been changed. The data was collected in 1972 and the information reflects the knowledge at that time. It does not reflect current interpretation. Not all authorities made returns and there are not records for all of the sites listed. However, the data is an invaluable source of information about pre-1974 sites. Information includes site name, location and risks to aquifers. It should be noted that the assessments were carried out when the data was collected and may not reflect current interpretation.

The UK Geoenergy Observatories (UKGEOS) Glasgow facility, baseline soil geochemistry dataset released from the BGS comprises an excel file with two spreadsheets. The first spreadsheet contains information on the chemical composition of 90 topsoil (0 - 20 cm) samples collected from seven initially proposed borehole sites for the UKGEOS Glasgow facility, and from two control sites, in February-March 2018 (03-18). Ten samples were collected from each site prior to installation of the UKGEOS Glasgow facility, and underwent laboratory analysis. Chemical data for pH and the total concentrations of 54 inorganic and 75 organic substances in the soil samples are presented. In addition, the dataset contains locational and descriptive information about the samples noted during sampling. The analyte name, element chemical symbols, analytical method, units of measurement and limits of quantification are recorded in header rows at the top of the spreadsheet. The dataset includes qualifiers, highlighting any quality control issues reported with the data. The data qualifiers are explained in the second spreadsheet released with the data. Further details about the dataset can be found in the accompanying report http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/527798/.

The UK Geoenergy Observatories (UKGEOS) Glasgow baseline surface water chemistry dataset1 released from the BGS comprises an excel file with two spreadsheets. The first spreadsheet contains information on the chemical composition of 98 surface water samples (84 samples and 14 field duplicates) collected monthly for 14 months between February 2019 and March 2020 from six sampling locations. These comprised three on the River Clyde at the UKGEOS Glasgow Cuningar Loop borehole cluster and three from control sites (two on the River Clyde and one on the Tollcross Burn). Field measurements of pH, redox potential, specific electrical conductance, temperature, dissolved oxygen and alkalinity and laboratory chemical data for concentrations of 71 inorganic and 10 organic substances in the surface water samples are presented. The dataset contains locational and descriptive information about the samples also. The analyte name, element chemical symbols, analytical method, units of measurement and long-term limits of detection are recorded in header rows at the top of the spreadsheet. The limits of detection/quantification for each monthly batch of samples are documented in rows at the head of each batch. The dataset includes abbreviations documenting quality control issues such as missing values. A guide to abbreviations used in the dataset is provided in the second excel spreadsheet released with the data. Further details about the dataset can be found in the accompanying report http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/529818.