pollution
OPAL metals survey - we need your help
The OPAL Water team need your help to research metal contamination in lakes and ponds across England. By sending them a mud sample from your local lake you'll help scientists discover the areas most at risk from metal pollution.
Very small amounts of metals occur naturally in all biological organisms and environments. Some metals, such as copper and zinc, are even vital for health.
High metal concentrations, however, can damage the growth and development of plants and animals, and very high concentrations can cause death.
Animals higher up the freshwater food chain, such as carnivorous fish and fish-eating birds, are most at risk. This is because metals accumulate as they pass through the food chain - a process called bioaccumulation.
Get involved
OPAL Water scientists are asking everyone to help in their research by sending in a small mud sample from a local lake or pond so it can be analysed for metals. The more samples they receive, the more informative the research will be.
Just email the OPAL Water team for a free sampling kit and further instructions: opalwatercentre [at] geog [dot] ucl [dot] ac [dot] uk.
OPAL metals survey
Is your local lake suffering from metal pollution? - Help us find out
Join in the OPAL metals survey and help us learn more about metal contamination in lakes and ponds across England.
Taking part is easy. Just collect a small mud sample from your local pond and send it to the OPAL Water team. We'll then analyse your sample for the presence of metals.
What is metal pollution?
Metals are present in all biological organisms and environments but usually at levels that do no harm. In fact some metals, such as copper and zinc, are essential to the health of living things. However, too much or too little can have damaging effects.
Other metals, such as mercury, cadmium and lead, are not essential. For these metals, each organism has a tolerance level. Exceeding this level can damage growth and development, and very high concentrations can cause death.
In the water, the damaging effects of metals are mostly seen at the top of the food chain, in fish such as pike and in fish-eating birds such as ospreys. This is because metals build up as they pass through the food chain - a process called bioaccumulation.
How will the survey help?
Our knowledge of trace metal distribution in UK lakes and ponds is currently poor. By analysing the mud samples you send us, we'll find out which areas are most affected. Our results will also feed into maps of metal distribution produced by the British Geological Survey.
Get involved today - request your free sampling kit
If you would like to take part, request a free sampling kit by emailing us with your address at: opalwatercentre [at] geog [dot] ucl [dot] ac [dot] uk.
Alternatively, write to us at: The OPAL Water Centre, Department of Geography, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT
The OPAL metal survey is not suitable for under 5s. Unfortunately, due to lottery funding restrictions, we can not send sampling kits to addresses outside of England.
Sent in a sample? See your contribution on our map
Thank you to everyone who has taken part in the metals survey so far. Our sample map shows all the contributions we've received so far.
Water survey - join in now
How healthy is your local lake or pond? Identify the invertebrates that live there to find out.
Take part in an OPAL event near you
From pond-dipping and bat walks to training courses and surveys, find out about local activities and events.
Help us assess the impact of road pollution
We need your help to assess traffic pollution in the South East. Your results will add to important research by OPAL scientists.
The South East of England has some of the busiest roads in the country, but also a large amount of green space, such as nature reserves and parks.
We want to compare pollution levels across the South East and explore the effect of this pollution on biodiversity and the quality of local green spaces.
You can help our research by monitoring traffic pollution in green spaces near you, such as gardens, parks, school fields and allotments. We can provide you with a free Air Pollution Monitoring Kit and we'll help you as much as we can along the way.
If you are interested in getting involved, contact the OPAL South East team on opalsoutheast [at] imperial [dot] ac [dot] uk.
The OPAL South East team will also be getting together with community groups and societies to assess the effects of traffic pollution. If you are in a group and would like to take part, please contact the OPAL South East team.
For details of other activities in the South East keep an eye on the South East activities page.
Schools watch the pollution in London
London schools are taking readings from their weather stations to help OPAL researchers and Imperial College monitor the air pollution from the capital.
On Tuesday 16 June, and also Thursday 18 and Friday 19 June, researchers are making intensive measurements of the particulate pollution produced by London.
An aircraft with dedicated scientific instruments will fly around the edge of the city, measuring the air pollution and particles being transported out of London by the atmosphere. These measurements are being made all around the M25.
Imperial College, in South Kensington, is measuring the amount of solar radiation that is able to penetrate through London's atmosphere to the ground.
This will show researchers how much pollution from particles there is in central London, and how much there is around the edge of London. To fill in the gaps - the areas between central London and the M25 - OPAL is asking London schools to analyse data from their weather stations to help us.
How your school can take part
If your school would like to get involved, please download the files below and follow the instructions. There are some simple calculations to do, but these don’t need to be completed straight away - and as long as you have readings for 16, 18 or 19 June you can join in up to a month after these dates.
Secondary schools:
Primary schools:
For more information about taking part please contact Claire McConnell on c [dot] mcconnell [at] imperial [dot] ac [dot] uk
From Inverness to Lundy Island
The last few months has been spent travelling from one end of the UK to the other in order to find heathland sites.
I can't use just any sites. I want to study whether soil fertility is affected by nitrogen pollution. This pollution can come from factories, cities or farming, and too much of it can cause heathlands to disappear. My heathland sites must have a certain nitrogen deposition (fertility), they can't have too much rainfall, they can't be too high up, they can't contain plants which affect nitrogen concentration in the soil...the list goes on.
But I have found 26 great sites so far, from near Inverness in Scotland, to The Lizard in Cornwall, to Lundy Island! The next step is to start collecting soils.
Here I am surveying one site in the East Midlands! In the background you can see one plant which affects nitrogen concentration in the soil: Ulex europaeus, more commonly known as gorse.
- Day to day life of a scientist
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OPAL Air Centre
Join our science fun days and learn more about air pollution
Air pollution is an issue of global importance and understanding its impact on the natural environment is one of the biggest challenges facing biologists.
Understanding the impact of air pollution
The new OPAL Air Centre at Imperial College's Silwood Park campus in Berkshire will house an experimental open top study chamber so we can expose plants to air pollutants, particularly ozone, in a controlled and measured way.
Our research will focus on understanding the impact of pollution on individual plants, plant communities, and important ecological functions.
Open days and summer schools
We are organising open days and summer schools so that groups can learn about the role of air pollution in shaping the natural environment and join in our scientific research. The aim is to help people develop a detailed understanding of this subject.
Get involved
Come along to a science fun day or summer school, or visit the Air Centre. We can also help you run activities in your own school or community, or arrange to visit you. If you are a teacher or leader of a youth or community group please contact us about setting up a talk or activities.
March 2010 update - OPAL Air Centre on the road
The OPAL Air Centre took its road show 'Air Science in Science week' to selected schools in Hounslow during National Science and Engineering Week. We worked with children with behavioural and moderate learning difficulties at two schools in the borough, Lindon-Bennet School and Cedars Primary School.
Students benefitted from a unique opportunity to work with research scientists on a range of fun and interactive learning activities. If your school would be interested in a visit from the Air Centre staff use the contact details below.
Contact us
Emma Green: opalair [at] imperial [dot] ac [dot] uk
Join in the OPAL air survey
Investigate lichens on trees and find out about local air pollution.
Water survey - starts May 2010
How healthy is your local lake or pond? Identify the invertebrates that live there to find out.
OPAL Air Centre is led by Imperial College, Silwood Park Campus, Ascot
Water Centre
How do pollutants affect freshwater life?
The main focus of the OPAL Water Centre project is to learn more about pollution in our lakes and ponds.
The dangers of pollution
Water pollution can seriously damage the health of aquatic plants and animals. In fact, these pollutants can pass right through the food chain, from the smallest creatures up to the large fish.
There is increasing evidence that fish and sediments in UK lakes contain high levels of persistent organic pollutants - known as POPs - potentially toxic trace metals. Freshwater species are being affected even in remote locations. The situation may be even worse in urban areas because of pollutants running off from paved areas and roads.
Assessing the problem
Our research aims to identify the scale of contamination from trace metals (mercury, lead, cadmium, copper, nickel and zinc) and certain POPs in the water, wildlife and sediment of 9 ponds and lakes around England. We will then assess the impact of these pollutants on the freshwater ecosystem.
See the results so far
All data and observations so far can be seen on our research results page
Get involved
Interested in our work? We work closely with many local and national societies who are always keen to attract new members.
Out on the lakes with the OPAL Water team
What's it like being a water scientist? Follow Dr Simon Turner as he samples nine lakes across the country.
Contact us
opalwatercentre@geog.ucl.ac.uk
The OPAL Water Centre is led by University College London
OPAL Water
Help monitor and protect our lakes and ponds
We want everyone to become interested in the aquatic world, and have the skills to observe changes in water quality through the identification of key plants and animals.
Protecting a nature oasis
Ponds and pools are often the focus of a local community as they are frequently located in shared spaces such as parks and recreation areas. They can be oases of biodiversity in otherwise ecologically poor locations and are important for both human and environmental wellbeing.
However, these freshwater environments are often struggling with problems such as water pollution and nutrient enrichment, and may also be poorly managed.
We are leading two OPAL Water projects to learn more about the lakes and ponds in England and to help in their conservation.
OPAL Water projects
OPAL Water research news and Simon's fieldwork diary
The lakes and ponds we are monitoring
 |
East of England: East Midlands: London: North East: North West: South East: South West: West Midlands: Yorkshire and Humber: |
Holt Hall Lake, Holt Thoresby Lake, near Mansfield Wake Valley Pond, Epping Forest Crag Lough, near Haltwhistle Marton Mere, Blackpool Fleet Pond, Fleet Slapton Ley, Slapton Edgbaston Pool, Birmingham Chapman's Pond, York |
Water survey - join in now!
How healthy is your local pond? The animals living in the water will help you find out.
Join in the OPAL water survey and help scientists learn more about the health of our ponds and lakes.
Take part in the OPAL metals survey
Help OPAL Water scientists research metal contamination in lakes and ponds.
Research results
See all the results so far from our lake monitoring research.
Partner organisations
We work with a number of organisations across the country to help with our research. You can also get involved with their work. They are always keen to welcome new members.
Contact us
opalwatercentre@geog.ucl.ac.uk
OPAL Water is led by University College London
OPAL Air
How does air pollution affect our natural environment?
Dr William Purvis of the Natural History Museum talks about lichens in London, past and present.
We want to raise awareness of how air pollution and climate change shape our environment and help everyone understand the global issues it raises.
OPAL Air research
Our scientists are conducting a number of research projects to investigate the impacts of climate change and air pollution. You can learn more about this work on the Air Centre and Climate Change Research Centre pages.
Air survey - now live
Help us monitor local air quality throughout England.
Dr Nathan Callaghan of the OPAL Air Centre discusses the tar spot of sycamore activity in the OPAL air survey
By recording lichens on trees and tar spot on sycamore leaves, you can help our scientists answer important questions about the impacts of local air pollution.
The OPAL air survey is the second in a series of five OPAL surveys exploring the state of our environment. Everyone can take part in this valuable research project, all you need is one of our survey packs, which can be downloaded from the air survey pages.
Discover more about lichens
Lichen guide - an online guide to the air survey indicator lichens.
British Lichen Society - A society dedicated to stimulating and advancing interest in lichenology.
British Lichens - A large collection of images of British lichens.
Contact us
opalair@imperial.ac.uk
OPAL Air is led by Imperial College, Silwood Campus, Ascot
OPAL Soil Centre
Soil is one of the world’s most precious natural resources - help us find out more about it
Dr Martin Head of Imperial College discusses the soil and earthworm survey
Soil is vital for plants and for food production. It also provides a home for a vast array of life. Soil stores and filters water, and provides the important foundation for buildings. The world would be a very different place without it.
Despite all these vital functions, much less is known about soil than air or water. We need to build a greater understanding of soil so we can sustain its functions and tackle local and global environmental challenges.
OPAL Soil Centre research
The OPAL Soil Centre is coordinating an England-wide survey that launches in spring 2009, in addition to a series of other concurrent research projects. We hope to fill the gaps in our scientific knowledge and encourage more people to get their hands dirty making their own soil discoveries.
Get involved
We want local schools and community groups to visit our study plots and work alongside our scientists. You can get involved by taking measurements of soil quality and pollution, surveying soil-dwelling organisms and recording your findings online. The data will be compared with past records to explore how the soil environment is changing over time.
Inner-city pollution
We want to learn more about soil pollution - the sources, how it moves through the soil and how it affects soil quality.
We are working closely with the Environment Agency and the Natural History Museum and are focussing particularly on inner-city areas, where pollution has greatest impact. This research will help with the future management of biosolids recycling - returning nutrients and organic matter reclaimed from wastewater to the land as fertiliser.
Soil and earthworm survey
We are co-ordinating the soil and earthworm survey, which is open to everyone. The survey aims to build a picture of soil quality and earthworm populations all over England.
Contact us
opalsoil [at] imperial [dot] ac [dot] uk
OPAL Soil Centre is led by Imperial College, London