WSP has been appointed to all three lots of the Environment Agency’s National Groundwater Modelling Framework, covering strategic modelling, regional and catchment-scale studies, and site-specific assessments. The framework will support regulation of abstraction, flood risk and drought management by standardising numerical groundwater models used to assess aquifer behaviour, contaminant migration and interactions with rivers and infrastructure. Consultants working on EA-regulated projects should expect closer alignment to EA-approved modelling tools, datasets and calibration approaches over the framework term.

A fleet of autonomous marine robots, including the long‑range Autosub “Boaty McBoatface”, will be launched from the polar research vessel RRS Sir David Attenborough to survey rapidly melting Greenland outlet glaciers and adjacent fjords. The mission will map sub‑ice shelf geometry, measure water column temperature and salinity, and track glacier–ocean interactions that influence Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation. Data on seabed morphology, grounding line position and meltwater plumes will feed into improved sea level rise projections and coastal infrastructure design criteria.

Government has set out a delivery plan to protect 30% of England’s land for nature by 2030, coupling the target with new funding for national parks, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and other protected landscapes. The plan includes support for climate adaptation research relevant to floodplain management, coastal erosion and peatland restoration, with implications for drainage design, embankment stability and long-term asset resilience. Additional investment in new national forests will drive large-scale tree planting and soil restoration, affecting ground investigation, slope design and hydrological modelling on adjacent infrastructure schemes.