Cuilcagh ammonia monitoring and foliar ammonium in vegetation.

Cuilcagh Mountain in County Fermanagh in Northern Ireland (NI)has been a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) since 2005 and is 2,751 ha in size. Cuilcagh Anierin Uplands in the Republic of Ireland (RoI) was designated a SAC in 1997 and is 9,736 ha. Together the two neighbouring SACs form one of the largest areas of upland blanket bog in Ireland. Northern Ireland suffers from the highest levels of atmospheric nitrogen input in the UK and Ireland. This has been shown to have noticeable and significant negative impacts on a range of species and habitats but particularly those found on peatlands. While much monitoring and research has been carried out in a number of lowland settings in Northern Ireland, there has been little monitoring in upland habitats to date. Cuilcagh Mountain and Cuilcagh Anierin Uplands SACs were identified as ideal candidates for monitoring to provide an insight into levels of atmospheric ammonia in an Irish upland setting. A study into the NH3 air concentrations and the effects of these on vegetation was carried out on Cuilcagh Mountain and Cuilcagh Anierin Uplands SAC’s. The project started with the establishing of the ALPHA® monitoring sites and the collection of moss samples in February 2020.