Citizen Science and Freshwater (7-11) - Resource Bundle

Linking Freshwater to the Curriculum_0

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Intro Citizen Science Overview (7-11) 1/17​

Citizen Science - An Overview (7-11) How you can use science to make a difference! WHAT DO YOU THINK CITIZEN SCIENCE MEANS? Intro Citizen Science Overview (7-11) 1/17

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Learning Objectives By the end of this overview, pupils will be able to: Describe what citizen science. Identify how citizen science is beneficial for both nature and scientists. Understand the different roles of citizens in citizen science projects. Give examples of citizen science projects they can get involved in. Be inspired to take action in their local environment! Intro Citizen Science Overview (7-11) 2/17

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What is citizen science? Intro Citizen Science Overview (7-11) 3/17

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You might count birds, look for bugs, or measure plants and send the data to scientists, supporting the research and making exciting discoveries! Citizen science is when everyday people, like you and your family, help scientists learn more about nature and the world. There are lots of different ways to take part in citizen science across the world! The public volunteer to be involved in scientific projects to address real-life problems! Intro Citizen Science Overview (7-11) 4/17

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Why is it good for non-scientists to work with scientists? Intro Citizen Science Overview (7-11) 5/17

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It opens up science to people from many backgrounds and all ages—you don’t need fancy qualifications to join in! Mixing scientists and non-scientist increases overall creativity as people bring different opinions and new ideas to the project. Citizen science projects allows anyone and everyone to help nature and can increase their love of it. The power of everyone coming together allows a lot of data to be collected . Researchers couldn’t collect this amount of information by themselves. More data = better understanding and knowledge of nature! Benefits of citizen science Intro Citizen Science Overview (7-11) 6/17

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What do citizens actually do in citizen science? From astronomy to zoology, wildlife surveys to exploring WW1 diaries - there is a project for anyone and everyone! But.... The main way citizens help is through data collection . This can be as simple as taking a photo of an animal or plant and uploading it to a database. Or, it can be more complicated, such as testing water and recording the results . Other ways to be involved include designing the project, sharing results , and encouraging others to get involved . Intro Citizen Science Overview (7-11) 7/17

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Anyone can be a citizen scientist - including you ! Intro Citizen Science Overview (7-11) 8/17

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WHO CAN BE A CITIZEN SCIENTIST? Scientists Anyone Adults Intro Citizen Science Overview (7-11) 9/17

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WHO CAN BE A CITIZEN SCIENTIST? Scientists Anyone Adults Intro Citizen Science Overview (7-11) 10/17

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Intro Citizen Science Overview (7-11) 11/17 WHO CAN BE A CITIZEN SCIENTIST? Scientists Anyone Adults Including you!

Intro Citizen Science Overview (7-11) 12/17​

Ways to get involved: Use the app Merlin to record birdsong and detect bird species Use the app Seek to identify plant and animal species Measuring water levels and more with Crowd Water Measure water quality during The Great UK Waterblitz Share water colour across Europe with the Eyeonwater app Here is a huge list of projects, splits into various topics - Citizen science projects in the UK: volunteer to help nature - Earthwatch Europe Get involved in the Big Butterfly Count You can be a citizen scientist! Intro Citizen Science Overview (7-11) 12/17

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The Great UK WaterBlitz is a nationwide project run by Earthwatch Europe where people test their local rivers, lakes, and ponds for pollution. It is a real citizen science project and is part of our Freshwater Watch project. All the small samples add up to a big picture of how healthy UK freshwater really is . This helps us understand how to look after our freshwater systems and all the animals that call it home! Everyone, schools, families, and communities, can take part and help protect nature. Example of a citizen science project Intro Citizen Science Overview (7-11) 13/17

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How does this help nature? Results help scientists understand the state of our freshwater. Here are some of our results from Sept 2025s WaterBlitz: -5,708 volunteers collected data from 3,430 freshwater sites, -60% of these sites showed poor water quality -England had more polluted sites than Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland. When we all help, we can find out what's happening in lots of places. Then we can make changes to protect nature. For example - we can see which areas have the worst water quality and look for reasons it’s so bad in that place. Once we identify the reason we can work to change it. This protects the nature that call it home. Intro Citizen Science Overview (7-11) 14/17

Intro Citizen Science Overview (7-11) 15/17​

EyeOnWater This international citizen science program helps sceintists understand water quality, by looking at water colour. Water colour indicates the algae and organic content of the water that feeds organisms. It’s very simple to use, all you need to do is: Example of another citizen science project... Download the app, Take a picture of water, Send the photo on the app! View a map of other water colour observations from across the world! Intro Citizen Science Overview (7-11) 15/17

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What kind of citizen science project would you want to get involved with? Why? Intro Citizen Science Overview (7-11) 16/17

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Summary: Citizen Science allows anyone to get involved in science and protecting nature. This increases creativity and ideas in these projects. The data we collect, lets scientist see what’s happening in nature. We can then ask for changes to protect nature. The Great UK WaterBlitz is a citizen science project that lets thousands of people test water quality, helping scientists build a clear picture of what’s happening. You can get involved in it! EyeonWater is an international citizen science project looking at water quality, and all you need to do to get involved is to take a photo of water! The Big Picture → when communities work together, we can protect nature. Intro Citizen Science Overview (7-11) 17/17

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Intro Freshwater Overview (7-11) 1/22

Freshwater Overview (7-11) What is it, why is it important, and how can we protect it? WHAT DO YOU THINK FRESHWATER MEANS? Intro Freshwater Overview (7-11) 1/22

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Learning Objectives By the end of this overview, pupils will be able to: Describe what freshwater is and how it is linked to the water cycle. Understand the importance of fresh water for people and nature. Recognise common freshwater species. Identify sources of freshwater pollution. Be inspired to take action in their local environment. Intro Freshwater Overview (7-11) 2/22

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What is freshwater? Intro Freshwater Overview (7-11) 3/22

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We find it in rivers, lakes, ponds, ice, and underground stores called aquifers. Freshwater is water that has very little salt in it, unlike seawater. Intro Freshwater Overview (7-11) 4/22

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Moving water - Rivers, Streams, Creeks Still water - Ponds, Lakes Wetland - Swamps, Bogs, Marshes There are so many ecosystems and therefore animals and plants that rely on freshwater to stay alive. Types of Freshwater Ecosystems Activities; Pond Dipping, and Making a Wetland look closer at some of these ecosystems Intro Freshwater Overview (7-11) 5/22

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How much of earth’s water is Freshwater? 12% 8% 3% Intro Freshwater Overview (7-11) 6/22

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How much of earth’s water is Freshwater? 12% 8% 3% Intro Freshwater Overview (7-11) 7/22

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How does water get into our rivers, lakes, and seas? Intro Freshwater Overview (7-11) 8/22

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What is the water cycle? The water cycle is the journey water takes as it moves around Earth, changing between liquid, gas, and ice. It’s how water finds it way to our rivers, lakes, and seas. It’s Earth’s way of recycling water, so we never run out. Intro Freshwater Overview (7-11) 9/22

Intro Freshwater Overview (7-11) 10/22

Evaporation – The Sun heats up water in rivers, lakes, and seas, turning it into water vapour (a gas) that rises into the air. Condensation – As the vapour goes higher, it cools down and turns back into tiny drops of water, forming clouds. Precipitation – When the clouds get heavy, the water falls back to the ground as rain, snow, or hail. Collection – The water flows over the land, gathering in rivers, lakes, and oceans, and the cycle starts again. Water cycle recap 1 2 3 4 Intro Freshwater Overview (7-11) 10/22

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When rain falls, some water soaks into the soil, where it can move slowly through the ground to feed rivers and lakes. The rest flows over the land’s surface. This is called runoff. Runoff can travel quickly into streams, picking up soil, chemicals, and litter along the way. How does water get into our rivers, lakes and seas? Intro Freshwater Overview (7-11) 11/22

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Why do we need clean freshwater? HINT: Think about the uses of freshwater for different organisms Intro Freshwater Overview (7-11) 12/22

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Freshwater matters because all living things need it to survive. We drink it, grow crops with it, and use it for washing and cleaning. It also supports wildlife , from fish in rivers, to animals that drink from lakes, and keeps our ecosystems healthy. Without enough clean freshwater, people, plants, and animals would struggle to live . Sadly, there are things that threaten our freshwater. But first, lets looks at who calls these places home! Why freshwater matters... Intro Freshwater Overview (7-11) 13/22

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Common freshwater species Why not do some research one of these organisms? Find out what they look like, what they eat, and how old they can get! Intro Freshwater Overview (7-11) 14/22

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What do you think is polluting our freshwater ecosystems? HINT: Think about different human activities Intro Freshwater Overview (7-11) 15/22

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Farming – Fertilisers, pesticides, and animal waste can wash into rivers and lakes when it rains. Sewage & Wastewater – Untreated or poorly treated sewage adds harmful bacteria and chemicals to water. Urban Runoff – Rainwater running off roads and pavements can carry oil, litter, and other pollutants. Deforestation – Removing trees increases erosion, so more soil and sediment end up in water. Plastic Pollution – Plastic waste breaks down into microplastics, which contaminate freshwater habitats. Industry – Factories can release chemicals, heavy metals, and waste into waterways. Freshwater Pollution Tip -Pollution in our Rivers (12-18y/o aimed) has more information on river pollutants if wanted. Intro Freshwater Overview (7-11) 16/22

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Plastic pollution Plastics help our lives in many ways. A few examples of what they make include: life-saving medical devices, lighter cars and planes(saving on fuel), helmets, equipment for clean drinking water. However, much of plastic is single use, like crisp packets, this has led to a lot of rubbish. Today, single-use plastics account for 40 percent of the plastic produced every year. When plastics break down they form microplastics. Unfortunately, microplastics have been found across the world, on every continent. Where do plastics come from? Plastics are mainly made from oil. Intro Freshwater Overview (7-11) 17/22

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In urban areas, there is more surface runoff because the ground is often covered with concrete, tarmac, and buildings. These hard, impermeable surfaces stop water from soaking into the soil. Instead, rainwater rushes over the surface, picking up oil, litter, chemicals, and other pollutants, which are then carried into freshwater ecosystems. Human activities in cities can also increase pollution entering water, these include using: pet pest control, cleaning products, garden fertiliser and pesticide use. Pollution in cities Intro Freshwater Overview (7-11) 19/22

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How can you help protect freshwater ecosystems? Intro Freshwater Overview (7-11) 19/22

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Anyone can be a citizen scientist - including you ! Intro Freshwater Overview (7-11) 20/22

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How can you help freshwater? Now you’ve learnt how important Freshwater Ecosystems are, what can you do to help protect them? Learn more - the more you learn, the more you’ll realise just how important they are! Share what you’ve learnt - if you can share what you love about freshwater with friends and family, they’ll learn to love and protect it to! Become a science communicator - another way to share how important freshwater ecosystems are is to make a poster highlighting this. Take part in or organise a litter pick - reducing the plastic that could end up in our freshwater ecosystems Take action - maybe join a project that tests water (these are sometimes called citizen science projects). Notice nature - keep enjoying nature and notice how it changes! Activitiy - Making a Poster, explores science communication Intro Freshwater Overview (7-11) 21/22

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Freshwater Heroes: Be a Water Detective with Citizen Science!

Freshwater Heroes: Be a Water Detective with Citizen Science!

The Vital Role of Freshwater

The Vital Role of Freshwater What are the types of ecosystems? Why are freshwater bodies important?  Freshwater, though only 3% of Earth's water, is needed to sustain terrestrial life. It provides drinking water for 8 billion people.  Healthy freshwater ecosystems support countless plant and animal species .  

Threats to Water

Threats to Water   Pollution: Industrial waste, agricultural run-off, and improper chemical disposal contaminate water sources. Unsustainable consumption: Extracting too much water, or too much during a short time, can lead to changes in the water cycle, such as alterations in water flow, levels, or quality,  and damage to  biodiversity in lakes and rivers.

Citizen Science - Community in Action

Citizen Science - Community in Action Citizen science is a collaborative approach that enables individuals to contribute to scientific freshwater research by collecting data over potentially vast areas, providing a better understanding of environmental issues.  Citizen science is work undertaken by civic educators together with citizen communities to advance science, foster a broad scientific mentality, and encourage democratic engagement, which allows society to deal rationally with complex modern problems Definition

Sharing Your Discoveries

Sharing Your Discoveries FreshWater Watch is an example of citizen science in action. By collecting water quality data, students can play a valuable role in protecting freshwater resources.

Cracking the Water Code

Cracking the Water Code Understanding the data we collect is vital! Here's what various water quality parameters can tell us: Water quality parameters measure various chemical, physical, and biological indicators nitrates, phosphates, and oxygen levels. Nitrates and Phosphates are nutrients that are essential for plant life and freshwater biodiversity. However, excess nitrates and phosphates can trigger harmful algal blooms. Eutrophication is harmful because it blocks sunlight from reaching underwater plants, and, in some cases, release toxins that are harmful to aquatic life. When the algae die, bacteria break them down, consuming large amounts of the oxygen dissolved in the water. This depletion of oxygen, known as hypoxia, can result in "dead zones" where aquatic life cannot survive due to the lack of oxygen . Eutrophication is a process in which excess nutrients accumulate in a body of water. Eutrophication increases the growth of aquatic plants and can lead to harmful algal blooms  Definition FreshWater Watch data location

The Power of Teamwork!

The Power of Teamwork! Millions of citizen scientists worldwide contribute valuable information. Citizen science data has a real impact: it has helped identify polluted waterways, leading to cleanup efforts. Long-term datasets inform water management practices and conservation strategies. If you become a citizen scientist, your contribution, combined with others’, can make a significant difference!

Take Action!

Take Action! Become a Freshwater Hero! Test your local water source.

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