There is some very impressive citizen science happening on the River Sid:
Measuring and monitoring along the Sid – The Sid
Riverfly monitoring along the Sid – The Sid
With the latest initiative coming from the newly-founded River Sid Catchment Group:
River Sid Catchment Group: fill in the questionnaire! – The Sid
The West Country Rivers Trust has been very supportive – in the Sid Valley and across the county:
Citizen science on our Westcountry rivers – The Sid
Citizen Scientists: ‘We’re doing it for our children’ – BBC News
As for the actual scientific community itself, it too has been very active in these parts – with a report just out today:
Scientists in Devon are researching a new way of remotely testing the cleanliness of bathing waters.
The University of Plymouth project aims to develop autonomous technology to place on top of equipment such as buoys at beaches or in rivers. Those behind the scheme said the kit would be designed to take water samples several times an hour before analysing the results and transmitting the data back to shore.
Prof Simon Jackson, the chief scientific officer at Molendotech Ltd, said the aim was to monitor water quality “autonomously”. “We want to be able to autonomously monitor water quality so we don’t need to have people going and taking water samples and then measuring those in situ or in a lab,” he said. “We want to be able to have the test wherever we want, in a bay, on a beach, or up a river. We could then continuously monitor the water quality and send the results back so that we have a map of water quality for any particular stretch of water.”
Scientists explore new way to test Devon water quality – BBC News
With more from the University’s website:
And more on the technology:
The patented endotoxin detection technology has the potential to transform the way we assess and respond to bacterial contamination. Unlike traditional culture-based methods, the technology makes testing safer, faster and more flexible. There’s no waiting for lab results, no need to grow potentially harmful pathogens and no complicated kit to set up.
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