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NRFA river flow data

Compare UK daily flow and catchment metadata with discharge archives for record completeness. Compare listed sources, access requirements and evidence for nrfa river flow data.

3 sources · For flood consultants, GIS analysts, hydrologists, drainage engineers, researchers, water resources engineers. Enrichment describes potential applications; review source evidence and limitations.

NRFA listings are two access records for the same archive; GRDC coverage and access terms vary.

Discover sources with MCP

Add this server to an HTTP-compatible MCP client, then call get_source to inspect the first source. The tool call is shown separately from the client configuration. Review upstream access details before requesting data.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "terramcp": {
      "url": "https://terramcp.earth/mcp"
    }
  }
}

// After connecting, call this discovery tool:
{
  "name": "get_source",
  "arguments": {
    "slug": "nrfa-api"
  }
}

Listed sources

data api
65/100Currency C

NRFA API ↗

UK gauged daily flows, catchment rainfall, peak flows and catchment metadata.

United Kingdompage reachable

data api
65/100Currency C

NRFA Data API ↗

gauged daily flow

What's in it

Data offered docs-verified
daily river flow time series (per gauging station) · station metadata (id, name, grid reference, lat/long, river, location, station level, catchment area) · gauged daily flow statistics (mean, min, max, Q95/Q50 and similar percentiles, base flow index) · peak-flow statistics (QMED, peak-flow start/end dates) · catchment descriptors (elevation percentiles, land cover LCM 1990-2023, geology permeability, FEH descriptors, urban extent) · catchment SAAR rainfall (1941-1970 and 1961-1990 standard periods)
Coverage docs-verified
UK: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland gauging networks
Resolution docs-verified
Daily time series per gauging station
Formats docs-verified
JSON (json-object) · CSV (nrfa-csv) · FEH data (feh-data) · FEH CSV (feh-csv) · HTML
Access docs-verified
Free, no API key or authentication currently; use governed by NRFA Data Terms and Conditions (licence)

Useful for

Use cases llm-inferred
FRA baseline flows from nearest gauge using gdf-statistics (mean flow, Q95, Q50) · QMED and peak-flow statistics for flood estimation cross-checks · Catchment descriptor extraction (land cover, geology, FEH descriptors, SAAR) for hydrological inputs
Audience llm-inferred
flood consultants · hydrologists · drainage engineers · GIS analysts

Limitations

Constraints docs-verified
Test service: URL patterns, parameters and data formats may change before an operational release · No access controls currently, but this may not always be the case · Time-series requests accept only a single station and a single data-type per call · Update schedule is referenced on the NRFA site but not stated in the docs

United Kingdompage reachable

dataset
70/100Currency A

GRDC ↗

Global Runoff Data Centre archive of river discharge; access subject to station/data terms.

What's in it

Data offered docs-verified
river discharge time series (in-situ, quality assured) · daily discharge for some station datasets (e.g. Climate Sensitive Stations) · Basin Layers geospatial products · Freshwater Fluxes into the World's Oceans product
Coverage docs-verified
Global
Resolution docs-verified
daily discharge for some station datasets (e.g. Climate Sensitive Stations); not stated for the archive as a whole
Access docs-verified
Free web-based selection and download via the GRDC Data Portal; no auth listed; access subject to station/data terms (licence not stated)

Useful for

Use cases llm-inferred
Calibrate a hydrological model against observed river discharge for a catchment · Validate remote sensing or model outputs with in-situ flow records · Regional or global catchment flow statistics for water resources assessment · Catchment boundary and basin context from GRDC basin layers
Audience llm-inferred
hydrologists · water resources engineers · flood consultants · GIS analysts · researchers

Limitations

Constraints llm-inferred
Access subject to station/data terms; licence not stated in catalogue · No API or MCP tools listed in catalogue · Station coverage and record length vary; UK-specific coverage not stated · Data is discharge-focused; other water quality or groundwater variables not indicated

Globalhealthy

Frequently asked questions

Which listed sources support NRFA river flow data?

Start with NRFA API, NRFA Data API, GRDC. Compare UK daily flow and catchment metadata with discharge archives for record completeness.

What should I check before using these sources for nrfa river flow data?

NRFA listings are two access records for the same archive; GRDC coverage and access terms vary.

How do I inspect NRFA API through MCP?

Connect an MCP client to https://terramcp.earth/mcp and call get_source with slug nrfa-api. Review its provenance, access requirements and limitations before contacting the upstream service. Discovery does not make every listed source directly executable through the router.

Are these sources free and independently verified?

Access and licence terms belong to each upstream provider; some products require registration or payment. Open each listing for evidence, health status and enrichment provenance. A wrapper and its underlying API can refer to the same dataset and are not independent observations.