Introduction to the Land–Ocean Interaction Study (LOIS): Rationale and international context

The UKʹs research initiative, the Land–Ocean Interaction Study, began in 1993. It parallels and links to current international scientific interest in land–sea interaction. Examples of global-scale, European- and national-scale initiatives are given. In addition, background details on geography of the study area is outlined. The large-scale, highly integrated, multidisciplinary nature of the LOIS rivers programme meant that certain measurements were common to many research projects (including water discharge, suspended sediment concentrations, pH, conductivity) or depended upon routine weekly or flood-related sampling (e.g. for nutrients, metals and organics). Sampling sites, field methods, instrumentation and associated chemical analyses are briefly described.