Water Survey Field Notebook

Transcription

1 The OPAL Water Survey Field Notebook

2 Introduction Freshwater is vital to life on Earth. It is essential for people to drink and grow food and clean water is very important for human health. Water quality is also important for the animals and plants that live in and around our lakes, ponds and rivers. Unfortunately, freshwaters like these all over the world have been polluted with chemicals from industry and farming and by waste and litter from our everyday lives. The most common form of pollution in lakes and ponds is an increase in the amount of nutrients (such as nitrogen and phosphorus) in the water. This is called eutrophication. Nutrients provide food for algae, so too much makes the water a murky green rather than clear. This reduces light for plants growing on the bottom and may lead to low levels of oxygen in the water making it difficult for animals to live there too. We can assess how healthy a lake or pond is by seeing which animals and plants are living in and around it. The OPAL Water Survey will help you do this for a lake or pond near where you live or work. By telling us what you have found you will be taking part in a unique survey to help us see where water health is a problem. Improving the water environment increases aquatic biodiversity (i.e. the number of plants and animals living in the water) and contributes to a healthy environment for all of us. So thank you! 2

3 The OPAL Water Survey To do the survey you will need: this OPAL Water Pack; a pond net; a white tray; a large (2 litre) clear plastic drinks bottle, a 1p coin and some sticky tape. See Page 3 for some ideas about how to make a pond net. Survey steps a Choose a lake or pond (see the hints and tips below to help you) b Collect or make your equipment c Carry out the survey. There are 4 activities for you to try. Full instructions are on the foldout chart. Activities 1 and 2 are very quick (less than 10 minutes) while the main focus of the survey, looking for aquatic invertebrates (Activity 3), can take 45 minutes to an hour. You can take as long as you like on Activity 4 as this is to see what else is living in and around the pond. d Enter all your results on the OPAL website or send this completed workbook back to us. This workbook contains recording sheets for the Activities and more information about some of the animals you may find. Additional copies of the guide and workbook can be downloaded from the OPAL website. The OPAL Water Survey is NOT suitable for young children. Water-based activities for younger people will be available on the OPAL Kids Zone. Hints and tips to help you Finding a lake or pond You can do the survey at any lake or pond. It could be a garden or school pond, a lake in your local park, or any other. If you don t know one already, look on a local map of your area and see what lakes or ponds are nearby. Alternatively, use Google Earth or go to the OPAL website ( to discover how to find lakes on the UK Lakes database or on the National Pond Monitoring Network website. 3

4 Remember just because a lake is on a map or in a database does not mean that the public have access. Please check with the owner or Local Authority first to make sure you are able to visit. Making a pond net To catch aquatic invertebrates you will need a net. If you don't have a pond net, you can use a net like one you may have used rock-pooling on the beach, but make sure that it has a fine mesh or you won't be able to catch the smallest animals. Alternatively you can make one by securely attaching a fine-meshed plastic kitchen sieve to a pole. You could use electrical or duct tape or better still you can use cable ties. For garden ponds, a sieve on its own will usually be fine. If you are going to more than one lake or pond, avoid spreading diseases or non-native plants by cleaning all equipment between sites. Equipment should be rinsed, washed with a mild disinfectant, rinsed again in tap water and allowed to dry. 4

5 Safe fieldwork Exploring ponds and lakes is great fun. However, it is important to take care when close to water. Young children must be supervised at all times when near water. Children must make sure that they get their parents consent before participating in this survey and make sure that they have read these guidelines. Do not do this survey on your own. Children must be accompanied by Oan adult. Adults should take a responsible friend who can help if things go wrong. It is advisable that one or both of you are strong swimmers. Make sure you know what to do in an emergency and have means of summoning help if necessary. Make sure that the ground around the lake or pond is firm and not steep or overhanging. Choose a place to do the activities where you can safely and easily get close to the water. Remember, the areas around ponds and lakes may be slippery. If you find broken glass, litter with sharp edges like metal cans or discarded fish hooks, find somewhere else to do the survey. Cover any open cuts before starting the activities and wash your hands thoroughly afterwards and especially before eating. Make sure you are dressed appropriately for the weather and wear appropriate footwear. Do not try to walk on frozen ponds or lakes. Please note that participation in the OPAL Water Survey is entirely at the participant s own risk. More water safety information is available from RoSPA: 5

6 POND HEALTH POND HEALTH POND HEALTH Invertebrate factfile Caddisflies Caddisflies are close relatives of moths and butterflies, and winged adults look like thin moths, but with hairy wings. There are around 200 kinds in Britain. The underwater larvae are easier to find than the adult flies which are often nocturnal. Most caddis larvae have a case, but not all. Cases are made by gluing bits of plant or sand grains together with silk. Caddisflies are often a sign of good quality ponds. Cased caddisfly larva Alderflies Alderfly larvae are predators of the pond bottom and are happy in silty, vegetation-rich environments. The adult alderflies emerge from ponds, rivers and lakes in spring and early summer. They are easy to see as they fly by day and have distinctive black-veined wings. There are only three different kinds of alderfly in Britain, and the most common, the mud alderfly (Sialis lutaria), is the one that is usually found in ponds. Alderflies are often a sign of good quality ponds. Alderfly larva Dragonflies Dragonflies are quick colonists of new ponds and will also colonise ponds that dry out in some years. Usually the first to come are species like the Common Darter or the Broad-bodied Chaser that like the bare sand or clay of new ponds. Amongst underwater plants you may find the larvae of Emperor Dragonflies. In shady, silty and overgrown ponds you often find Brown and Southern Hawker Dragonflies. Dragonfly larvae and adults are ferocious predators on small animals. Almost all the common ones can be found in garden ponds. Dragonflies are Dragonfly larva indicators of good quality ponds. 6 See the dragonfly and damselfly card in your pack

7 POND HEALTH POND HEALTH POND HEALTH Damselflies Damselflies are related to dragonflies and ponds are important habitats for them. The most common species are the Large Red Damselfly and the Azure Damselfly. Damselflies quickly colonise new ponds including small garden ponds. The adults have long thin bodies and close their wings over their body when resting. They lay their eggs on the stems of trailing grasses, land plants trailing in the water and on fallen leaves don t pull these out if you want to encourage damselflies. A good quality pond will nearly always have damselflies. Damselfly larva 10 Mayflies There are over 50 different kinds of mayflies in Britain. About 10 of these can be found in ponds, but by far the commonest is the Pond Olive. Pond Olives are fast colonizers of new ponds, including ponds in gardens. The underwater larvae hatch out into winged adults in the spring, with a second generation in the summer. Many people think that adult mayflies only live for a day once they emerge but some can survive as long as two weeks before they lay their Mayfly larva eggs. Because some mayflies are quite tolerant of pollution they can be found in both high quality ponds and those which are not as good. 5 Water beetles Water beetles are one of the most diverse groups of animals in freshwaters. In Britain there are around 300 species. Many water beetles are great fliers. They quickly colonise new ponds, and also move between ponds and other water bodies during the year. In a good wildlife pond there should be lots of different kinds of water beetles. 5 Water beetle 7

8 POND HEALTH POND HEALTH POND HEALTH 5 Water bugs Although many small animals are called bugs, strictly speaking bugs are only those insects that have piercing mouthparts that they use to feed. There are lots of different kinds of water bugs: water boatmen, water measurers, water crickets, the water scorpion (it s not really a scorpion and is harmless) and the water stick insect (which isn t really a stick insect either!). Most are predators that feed on smaller animals, but Lesser Water Boatmen also filter fine particles from the mud, which is why they are often found in muddy pools. Water bugs alone are not indicators of a high quality pond, Water bug but will be found in all good quality ponds. Freshwater shrimps In most ponds the shrimp that you will see is a small introduced American species called Crangonyx pseudogracilis. Unlike some other introduced species this one doesn t seem to have done much harm in Britain. Shrimps don t fly so may take many years to arrive at a pond unless they are added by people. Freshwater shrimps can live in good and bad quality ponds. 5 Pond skaters Pond skaters look very similar to each other but there are actually 8 different species found on ponds and lakes in Britain and they venture onto rivers too. Pond skaters are predatory bugs that spear little animals just under the water surface. They also eat insects that fall onto the water surface and are trapped there. The common species are all good fliers so can easily move from pond to pond. They are found on both good and poor quality ponds. 5 Freshwater shrimp Pond skater 8

9 POND HEALTH POND HEALTH POND HEALTH 1 Water slaters (or water hoglice) Water slaters are relatives of the familiar garden woodlouse, and are often found living in rotting leaves in the bottom of ponds. There are only two likely to be seen in Britain, and by looking closely you can tell them apart quite easily. The common water slater (Asellus aquaticus) has two white spots on its head, whereas the less common one-spotted water slater (Asellus meridianus) has only one. Water slaters can live in nutrientrich waters and/ or low oxygen conditions. Water slater When they are the only animals found, there probably isn t much oxygen in the water. Water snails There are about 40 different kinds of water snails in Britain. They vary in size when fully grown from the tiny Nautilus Ram s-horn (just 2 or 3 mm across) to the Great Pond Snail which grows up to 4 cm. Common water snails get from place to place as eggs Water snail carried by birds or amphibians or when people introduce plants. It is sometimes said that snails are important for keeping a pond clean. Unfortunately, that is not so. They graze on the abundant growth of algae stimulated by excess nutrients. To get a clean pond you need to take away the pollutants but the snails don t do that they just recycle them. Snails will thrive in polluted ponds, but will also be found in good quality ponds. 1 Worm-like animals This group includes all worms, fly larvae, leeches, flatworms and other worm-like creatures. It might come as a bit of a shock to realise that there are more different kinds of these creatures living in freshwater especially the larvae 1 Midge larva: a worm-like animal of flies than any other kind of animal. So when you see yellow and black hoverflies dashing over the pond or delicate midges with their feathery antennae, remember their wriggling larvae that started out in your pond! They are found in both good and poor quality ponds. 9

10 Results 4 Please tick the appropriate boxes 1. Date of survey 2. Time of survey 3. How did you participate in the survey today? school family or friends volunteer group 4. Had you been pond dipping before you did the OPAL survey? yes no 5. How would you describe the weather today? sunny raining cloudy but no rain Describe the pond You can upload pictures of the pond when you send us your results on-line. 6. What is the name of the pond? 7. Record the location of the pond (postcode / OS map reference / GPS reading) Which of these describe the area immediately around the lake or pond? Tick any which apply. urban garden park school farmland grassland wood or forest heath or moorland 9. What does the edge of the pond mainly look like? concrete/paving stone mown grass long grass / tall plants trees bare ground

11 10. Can you see any of the following signs of pollution? a Industrial b Rubbish in c Discharge d chimneys the pond pipes Foam on the water surface e Road less than 20 metres away f Algal bloom ŸActivity 1: How clear is the water? 11. How many OPAL logos could you see when you looked into the bottle? If the water appeared coloured, what colour was it? brown green other If you answered other describe the colour ŸActivity 2: Is the water acid or alkaline? 13. When you used the dip strip, what was the ph of the water?

12 ŸActivity 3: How healthy is the pond? Type of pond animal 4 Quality index Score Cased caddisfly larvae Score 10 if you found cased caddisfly larvae Dragonfly larvae Score 10 if you found dragonfly larvae Alderfly larvae Score 10 if you found alderfly larvae Damselfly larvae Score 10 if you found damselfly larvae Caseless caddisfly larvae Score 10 if you found caseless caddisfly larvae Mayfly larvae Score 5 if you found mayfly larvae Water beetles and/or larvae Score 5 if you found water beetles Water bugs Score 5 if you found water bugs Pond skaters Score 5 if you found pond skaters Water shrimps Score 5 if you found water shrimps Water snails Score 1 if you found water snails Water slaters Score 1 if you found water slaters Worm-like animals Score 1 if you found worm-like animals Total score = What your results mean 31 or more This lake or pond is very healthy Score 6-30 This lake or pond is quite healthy Score 0-5 This lake or pond could be improved Example: Suppose you found some dragonfly larvae, alderfly larvae, adult beetles and water snails. Dragonfly larvae Alderfly larvae Water beetles Water snails Total score = The pond score is 26 and the pond is therefore quite healthy

13 ŸActivity 4: What else lives at the pond? Use the tables below to tell us about any other animals or plants you saw while doing the water survey. Use the other charts included in the pack to help you identify them. Dragonflies/ damselflies Brown Hawker Emperor Dragonfly Common Darter Broad-bodied Chaser Common Blue Damselfly Large Red Damselfly 4 Duckweeds Rootless Duckweed Greater Duckweed Fat Duckweed Least Duckweed Common Duckweed Ivy-leaved Duckweed 4 Amphibians Common Frog Common Toad Marsh Frog Smooth Newt Palmate Newt Great Crested Newt* Tadpoles (any species) Spawn/eggs (any species) 4 Other animals Water flea Water mite Water spider 4 *Great Crested Newt is a protected species. If accidentally you catch one, return it straight away to the place you found it. 13

14 Complete your survey Upload your results to the OPAL website Or post your completed workbook to: Freepost RSCH-CKYJ-HYYC, OPAL, Centre for Environmental Policy, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ What now? The OPAL Metals Survey You can help us to find out more about lakes and ponds by also taking part in the OPAL Metals Survey. Concentrations of metals in sediments (mud in the lake) are a useful indicator of environmental pollution. We are asking people to send us a small sample of mud that we can analyse. These new data will feed into the national geochemical survey that is conducted by the British Geological Survey. To find out how to do this visit the OPAL website or us at opalwatercentre@geog.ucl.ac.uk and request our simple sampling kit. 14

15 If you would like to know more about lakes and ponds and the animals that live in them, or if a particular animal or plant group has interested you, you can find out more information by visiting the OPAL Water website or the following: Ponds and pond quality: Pond Conservation Aquatic invertebrates: Buglife: The Invertebrate Conservation Trust Dragonflies and damselflies: British Dragonfly Society Frogs, toads and newts: Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Aquatic plants: Botanical Society of the British Isles Links to other organisations can be found on the OPAL website. If you have enjoyed identifying the animals in this survey, you can get further help with identification on the OPAL ispot website ( where you can also share photographs of the animals you have found. Other versions of the guide More copies of the Water Survey guide and additional results forms are available in pdf format at The OPAL Water Survey is the third national survey from the OPAL project. You can also take part in other OPAL surveys, including the OPAL Soil and Earthworm Survey and the OPAL Air Survey, by downloading materials from OPAL has received a grant from the Big Lottery Fund to encourage people to get in touch with nature by enabling them to explore and study their local environments. Through partnerships nation-wide, OPAL is running fun, free projects which anyone can get involved with. OPAL wants to inspire a new generation of nature-lovers by encouraging people to spend more time outdoors understanding the world around them. 15

16 This pack has been developed by Neil Rose 1, Simon Turner 1, Tom Davidson 1, Jeremy Biggs 2, Vicky Kindemba 3, Lucy Carter 4, Simon Norman 5, Ruth Welters 6, Linda Davies 7. 1 University College London. 2 Pond Conservation. 3 Buglife: The Invertebrate Conservation Trust. 4 Natural History Museum. 5 Field Studies Council. 6 LWEC, 7 Imperial College London. Photographs by: Cyril Bennett, Steve Cham, Niels Sloth (Biopix), Simon Pawley (FBA), Jeremy Biggs, Roberto Scherini ( Robert Żóralski ( Alexander Grau and David Kohler ( Malcolm Storey ( Simon Turner, Morten DD Hansen, Neil Rose, Roger Key, Brian Jones, Tim Apps, Michael R Clapp (nwnature.net), Suzanne McGowan, MC Fischer, istockphoto. 16