Tacolneston also receives air flow from London located 150 km to the south west of the site. In this way Tacolneston is optimally located to observe and constrain emissions from the UK. Tacolneston is part of the DECC Network, which also includes measurements from Mace Head (Co. Galway, Ireland), Ridge Hill (Herefordshire, UK), Bilsdale (North Yorkshire, UK) and Heathfield (East Sussex, UK). This enables emissions from separate regions of the UKs devolved administration to be constrained (England, Wales, Scotland and N. Ireland).

Measurements of CO₂ and CH₄ are made using a Picarro G2301 cavity ringdown spectroscopy analyser. A Los Gatos Research (LGR) Enhanced Performance N₂O/CO analyser (model no. 913-0015-810) has also been operational at the site since 2016. Both of these instruments utilise laser-based optical absorption techniques, enabling frequent measurement of each species (i.e. measurements every few seconds). Over 50 other trace gases are measured using a Medusa GC-MS instrument, including key greenhouse gases and ozone depleting substances. Since 2020, measurements of ²²²Rn have also been made using an ANSTO (Australian Science and Technology Organization) analyser, providing additional context regarding the recent history of the air sampled at Tacolneston.

Tacolneston Observation Station