Banter 25: Earthwatch Fresh Water, 26Jun24, Sam Frith

Sam takes us through the work of the Fresh Water project in the UK, and shows how that ties in with Earthwatch work worldwide. She shows sample collection and analysis, and invites all to join in

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Last updated 5 months ago

WEBVTT 1 00:01:55.940 --> 00:01:57.000 Sam Frith: Hello, Graham. 2 00:01:58.070 --> 00:02:00.019 Graham Stoddart-Stones: Howdy! How are you. 3 00:02:00.460 --> 00:02:01.630 Graham Stoddart-Stones: hey, Walt? 4 00:02:01.840 --> 00:02:02.390 Graham Stoddart-Stones: Of. 5 00:02:02.390 --> 00:02:04.099 Sam Frith: Like you are in a vehicle. 6 00:02:04.100 --> 00:02:07.579 Graham Stoddart-Stones: I'm in a taxi racing to 7 00:02:08.740 --> 00:02:09.990 tristram cary: Hello, Sam! 8 00:02:09.990 --> 00:02:11.100 Graham Stoddart-Stones: Around, eldest sister. 9 00:02:11.100 --> 00:02:11.580 Sam Frith: On! 10 00:02:11.580 --> 00:02:15.280 Graham Stoddart-Stones: Tristan, let me just make you the the co-host. 11 00:02:16.210 --> 00:02:18.559 Graham Stoddart-Stones: so that you have charged this. 12 00:02:19.340 --> 00:02:23.040 tristram cary: Yeah, I'm not sure I know what to do. Because is it recording. 13 00:02:23.380 --> 00:02:24.274 Graham Stoddart-Stones: Yes. 14 00:02:25.200 --> 00:02:28.130 Graham Stoddart-Stones: So if if you need to silence people, that's all. 15 00:02:28.130 --> 00:02:28.940 tristram cary: Yeah, okay. 16 00:02:31.220 --> 00:02:31.770 Graham Stoddart-Stones: All right, your. 17 00:02:31.770 --> 00:02:34.760 tristram cary: You're you're you're in a taxi, going to 18 00:02:35.460 --> 00:02:36.910 tristram cary: getting to the area. 19 00:02:37.160 --> 00:02:40.949 Graham Stoddart-Stones: I'm going to Al Wilson, but I'm going to hold the meeting from his dining room and. 20 00:02:40.950 --> 00:02:42.510 tristram cary: Alright, brilliant. 21 00:02:45.780 --> 00:02:46.375 Graham Stoddart-Stones: And 22 00:02:47.330 --> 00:02:51.650 Graham Stoddart-Stones: I'm also on an extremely flat battery, so I may disappear any second. 23 00:02:53.050 --> 00:02:55.240 Sam Frith: You like living life on the edge. 24 00:02:55.240 --> 00:02:55.780 tristram cary: Does. 25 00:02:58.424 --> 00:03:06.910 Graham Stoddart-Stones: I had to go over to the submarine museum this morning to pick up a coach, and inevitably the ferry was late. So now I'm late, and 26 00:03:06.980 --> 00:03:08.070 Graham Stoddart-Stones: who knows? 27 00:03:12.421 --> 00:03:15.220 tristram cary: Are you around? On the 12th of July? Graham. 28 00:03:15.380 --> 00:03:23.319 Graham Stoddart-Stones: I saw your note and can we chat about that this afternoon because I'm gonna be in hopefully somewhere in the Azores by then. 29 00:03:23.320 --> 00:03:25.140 tristram cary: Okay. So the answer is, No. 30 00:03:25.640 --> 00:03:30.440 Graham Stoddart-Stones: Well, actually, we will probably be alongside. So the answer is probably Yes. 31 00:03:30.700 --> 00:03:35.310 tristram cary: Cause. It's it's been suggested as a date for our first.st Simon led 32 00:03:35.380 --> 00:03:36.670 tristram cary: inside me. Sleep. 33 00:03:36.670 --> 00:03:44.559 Graham Stoddart-Stones: Well, I I think it absolutely better for me to be coming in from a tropical island in the middle of sunshine and gorgeousness, while you're all sitting in the July rain and snow. 34 00:03:44.560 --> 00:03:45.839 tristram cary: Yeah, yeah. 35 00:03:45.970 --> 00:03:52.427 tristram cary: And I. But I wanted to know you were happy for it to sort of take over one of your user group sessions, and and be run by Simon. 36 00:03:53.084 --> 00:03:55.690 Graham Stoddart-Stones: Very very very welcome, very welcome. 37 00:03:55.690 --> 00:03:56.740 tristram cary: I think that's very good 38 00:04:02.330 --> 00:04:03.570 tristram cary: morning, Stuart. 39 00:04:03.770 --> 00:04:05.000 Stuart Withington: Morning. Tristan 40 00:04:05.990 --> 00:04:07.749 Stuart Withington: is grave. Oh, no, grave is there. 41 00:04:08.006 --> 00:04:11.079 tristram cary: Graham's there in a car, living life on the edge sounds very. 42 00:04:11.080 --> 00:04:16.790 Graham Stoddart-Stones: James about to depart to go and say hello to his host, so I'll catch you guys up later. 43 00:04:16.790 --> 00:04:17.260 tristram cary: Okay. 44 00:04:17.269 --> 00:04:19.219 Stuart Withington: Okay? Bye. 45 00:04:19.560 --> 00:04:20.889 Graham Stoddart-Stones: Bye, Sam, good luck. 46 00:04:20.899 --> 00:04:22.579 Sam Frith: Bye. Thank you. 47 00:04:26.130 --> 00:04:28.219 tristram cary: So, Sam, how long have you been doing Earthwatch. 48 00:04:28.850 --> 00:04:32.739 Sam Frith: So officially. I've been Earth watching for 3 months. 49 00:04:32.820 --> 00:04:37.240 Sam Frith: but I've been citizen sciencing since September 22. 50 00:04:37.700 --> 00:04:39.069 tristram cary: Oh, great, brilliant! 51 00:04:39.160 --> 00:04:50.860 tristram cary: Because, as as luck would have it, or yesterday I had a meeting with a council who's trying to in in Somerset, and they're trying to make a baseline of their ecological sort of status. And and what. 52 00:04:50.860 --> 00:04:51.205 Sam Frith: Hike! 53 00:04:51.840 --> 00:05:04.289 tristram cary: And we were we were talking about. You know. How on earth do you do that? And and where do you get the advice from and all that stuff. And we mentioned he's been using citizens to go out and try to spot pyramid orchids and things. 54 00:05:04.790 --> 00:05:05.590 Sam Frith: Aye, but. 55 00:05:05.856 --> 00:05:09.580 tristram cary: So it's so what? So that's very timely what you're going to talk about. 56 00:05:10.210 --> 00:05:22.259 Sam Frith: Good, good. Well, hopefully, I can inspire. Obviously, I'm water based. But I mean goodness and science is so important for every subject, you know, like whether it's counting flowers, butterflies? 57 00:05:23.500 --> 00:05:25.039 Sam Frith: Anything really. 58 00:05:25.960 --> 00:05:26.400 tristram cary: Isn't. 59 00:05:26.796 --> 00:05:28.380 Stuart Withington: They refer bio blitz. 60 00:05:30.220 --> 00:05:30.809 tristram cary: Sorry, Stuart. 61 00:05:30.810 --> 00:05:31.750 Sam Frith: Say against Stuart. 62 00:05:31.940 --> 00:05:34.559 Stuart Withington: Is this the same as a bio blitz. 63 00:05:36.320 --> 00:05:45.600 Sam Frith: So we call them water blitzes. So we we provide them with a scientific kit, which I'll explain. And yeah, they go out and collect data. And then we can analyze that. 64 00:05:46.950 --> 00:05:51.659 Stuart Withington: There, there! There is a bioplit network, isn't there? Across the country. 65 00:05:52.890 --> 00:05:54.100 Sam Frith: Oh, I don't know. 66 00:05:54.410 --> 00:05:57.119 tristram cary: I've never even heard of Bible, I'm ashamed to say. 67 00:05:57.390 --> 00:06:05.149 Stuart Withington: i i i think that there, there's a national sort of coordinating network, and maybe contact them. They'll give you out crib sheets 68 00:06:05.250 --> 00:06:08.550 Stuart Withington: on how to set about doing it. 69 00:06:08.550 --> 00:06:11.140 Jacky Lawrence, Napton PC Climate and Environment Working Party: By a blitz in the local churchyard. 70 00:06:13.950 --> 00:06:17.025 Jacky Lawrence, Napton PC Climate and Environment Working Party: And we did water. Blitz. 71 00:06:18.320 --> 00:06:19.699 Stuart Withington: Swimming, isn't it? 72 00:06:25.990 --> 00:06:28.810 tristram cary: The time still of minutes ago, I think. 73 00:06:32.180 --> 00:06:44.619 tristram cary: Yeah, but they the Jane. Well, no, I guess the challenge is getting people to continue to work on it. I can imagine people start with a lot of enthusiasm, but everywhere seems to be very time poor and busy these days. 74 00:06:45.540 --> 00:06:45.980 Sam Frith: Keeping. 75 00:06:45.980 --> 00:06:46.400 Stuart Withington: You. 76 00:06:46.400 --> 00:06:47.300 Sam Frith: Asia. Not? 77 00:06:47.680 --> 00:06:53.960 Sam Frith: Yeah. Keep keeping. Motivation can be hard. But generally I try and do it with coffee and cake. 78 00:06:58.460 --> 00:07:02.289 Kirsten Newble: That works for everything. I do that on so many volunteer things. 79 00:07:03.120 --> 00:07:08.465 tristram cary: Yeah, yeah, we do it for the dish picking. We only come because there's a bacon buttty at the end. 80 00:07:09.000 --> 00:07:10.539 Sam Frith: Winner every time. 81 00:07:11.680 --> 00:07:12.270 Sam Frith: So think 82 00:07:13.920 --> 00:07:14.750 Sam Frith: who 83 00:07:22.940 --> 00:07:25.809 tristram cary: And so do you, Sam, do you collate the data across 84 00:07:25.870 --> 00:07:29.829 tristram cary: the country to produce sort of national views of things in in Earthword? 85 00:07:29.830 --> 00:07:34.759 Sam Frith: So so as Earth watch, we have just done the great Uk water blitz 86 00:07:35.281 --> 00:07:45.959 Sam Frith: where we had whatever 1,000 sets of data which we've been able to coordinate. And actually, we've just released yesterday. So yesterday, for the results of that. 87 00:07:46.080 --> 00:07:48.039 Sam Frith: just to, you know, evidence 88 00:07:48.700 --> 00:08:02.740 Sam Frith: mainly because the environment agency has been so poor at monitoring the rivers for themselves. Over the years we've been able to use the citizen science data to actually go out and and collect later ourselves and then collaborate, you know, coordinate that with with that data. 89 00:08:04.090 --> 00:08:05.599 Sam Frith: Yeah, it's it's 90 00:08:06.130 --> 00:08:14.559 Sam Frith: as I'll explain. You know, it's scientific data. And we use it. And and it can be powerful. We just need to make sure the environment agency are willing to listen. 91 00:08:16.140 --> 00:08:22.449 tristram cary: And I guess I'm sure you're going to tell us. But I guess you have to make sure that everybody's collecting the same data on on a sort of consistent way of, or. 92 00:08:22.450 --> 00:08:25.310 Sam Frith: Yes, consistency is very important. 93 00:08:25.310 --> 00:08:25.930 tristram cary: Now. 94 00:08:28.690 --> 00:08:30.090 tristram cary: Okay. 95 00:08:30.190 --> 00:08:34.419 tristram cary: I don't know how I know more people come in, but we seem to have very few at the moment. 96 00:08:38.080 --> 00:08:48.279 tristram cary: but I think we should. We're waiting for Graham, who's who's in a car? Trying to get somewhere and is late. But I suggest we start. 97 00:08:48.340 --> 00:08:57.699 tristram cary: So, Sam. We're very grateful for you to come and talk to us. Sam's from Earth watch, and she's going to tell us about citizen science and how we can all get involved. 98 00:08:57.850 --> 00:09:03.780 tristram cary: So Sam, over to you, and and when you finish your presentation, then we'll have questions and answers. 99 00:09:04.420 --> 00:09:22.470 Sam Frith: Yeah, fabulous. Well, I'm I'm gonna keep it fairly informal. I apologize for my terrible presentation. It's thrown together, and the last hour, admittedly. But hopefully, it'll just inspire you to find out what we're doing and maybe get involved. And I. 100 00:09:22.470 --> 00:09:27.160 tristram cary: Can you share? So I'm not an expert on Zoom. Can you? Can you share your screen so that we can see your presentation. 101 00:09:27.160 --> 00:09:32.559 Sam Frith: I am just about to try and figure out how to do that. 102 00:09:33.770 --> 00:09:34.150 tristram cary: Included. 103 00:09:34.150 --> 00:09:36.489 Sam Frith: Not used zoom. 104 00:09:37.373 --> 00:09:38.780 Sam Frith: Powerpoint, as. 105 00:09:38.780 --> 00:09:42.440 Peter Bates - East Cambridgeshire Climate Action Network: If you go down to the bottom of the screen, it says, share screen. 106 00:09:42.715 --> 00:09:42.990 Sam Frith: La 107 00:09:43.310 --> 00:09:50.040 Sam Frith: Green, or documents were advanced. This is Show Powerpoint as background. We show Powerpoint, as 108 00:09:51.110 --> 00:09:53.432 Sam Frith: this is where I should have done this beforehand. 109 00:09:53.690 --> 00:09:57.999 tristram cary: Just try it and see. I've as far as I can see, I've given you permission to do it. 110 00:09:58.000 --> 00:09:58.570 Sam Frith: Oh, Fab! 111 00:09:58.570 --> 00:09:58.950 John Fagan: It. I-, 112 00:09:59.510 --> 00:10:06.490 John Fagan: you need to. Yeah, you don't need to do advance. Just go on screens. And the are your one monitor, one screen. 113 00:10:06.490 --> 00:10:07.380 Sam Frith: Yeah, just in the long. 114 00:10:07.380 --> 00:10:13.730 John Fagan: Yeah. So then just share your whole desktop. And that's the easiest. Not on advanced. Yeah. 115 00:10:13.730 --> 00:10:15.792 tristram cary: Thank you, John. Great to have an expert in the room. 116 00:10:16.190 --> 00:10:17.360 John Fagan: No electrician. 117 00:10:17.620 --> 00:10:20.029 Peter Bates - East Cambridgeshire Climate Action Network: And we see all your secrets. 118 00:10:20.450 --> 00:10:25.069 Sam Frith: Honestly, I had to close everything on my computer yesterday I had so much open 119 00:10:28.790 --> 00:10:30.010 Sam Frith: as desktop. 120 00:10:30.870 --> 00:10:32.670 tristram cary: Yes, Graham's joined us. Huh? 121 00:10:33.900 --> 00:10:36.790 Sam Frith: There go. He might. Okay, share entire screen. 122 00:10:37.270 --> 00:10:38.170 Sam Frith: Yeah. 123 00:10:38.170 --> 00:10:39.420 tristram cary: That's it! Hooray! Hold on! 124 00:10:39.420 --> 00:10:41.369 Sam Frith: If I go to. 125 00:10:41.370 --> 00:10:42.090 tristram cary: Perfect. 126 00:10:42.770 --> 00:10:44.159 Sam Frith: That one. 127 00:10:45.620 --> 00:10:48.219 Sam Frith: and then do it as 128 00:10:49.290 --> 00:10:53.917 Sam Frith: do do. How can I just do it as a. 129 00:10:55.060 --> 00:10:57.620 Graham Stoddart-Stones: Up to the top, where it says, Slideshow ray. 130 00:10:57.620 --> 00:10:59.050 Sam Frith: Oh! The. 131 00:10:59.240 --> 00:10:59.890 Graham Stoddart-Stones: Yep. 132 00:11:00.150 --> 00:11:01.270 Sam Frith: From beginning. 133 00:11:01.740 --> 00:11:02.240 Graham Stoddart-Stones: Yep. 134 00:11:02.240 --> 00:11:05.439 Sam Frith: We go? Can everyone see? 135 00:11:06.570 --> 00:11:07.990 Graham Stoddart-Stones: I spat on. 136 00:11:07.990 --> 00:11:08.910 tristram cary: Perfect. 137 00:11:08.910 --> 00:11:09.540 Graham Stoddart-Stones: You're gonna take. 138 00:11:09.540 --> 00:11:10.769 Sam Frith: Like that's. Yes. 139 00:11:10.770 --> 00:11:12.590 Peter Bates - East Cambridgeshire Climate Action Network: Yeah. Thanks. Bye. 140 00:11:12.977 --> 00:11:14.140 Sam Frith: Okay. Well, I'm 141 00:11:14.930 --> 00:11:20.428 Sam Frith: I tell you. What I then can't see is, I can't see all my cheeky little notes I made alongside it. 142 00:11:22.380 --> 00:11:26.250 John Fagan: Yeah, that won't be possible unless you have 2 screens. 143 00:11:26.760 --> 00:11:30.369 Sam Frith: Oh, there we go! I'm learning every day. 144 00:11:31.330 --> 00:11:33.669 Sam Frith: So what I could do then is. 145 00:11:35.130 --> 00:11:37.730 Sam Frith: can I just show you it's not gonna be very. 146 00:11:37.730 --> 00:11:40.539 Graham Stoddart-Stones: What you can do is pull it up on your phone, Sam. 147 00:11:41.620 --> 00:11:44.070 Sam Frith: Oh, I've not been that organized Graham. 148 00:11:44.810 --> 00:11:46.150 tristram cary: Sam, you could also show. 149 00:11:46.150 --> 00:11:49.209 Sam Frith: So used to wearing using teams. Zoom. 150 00:11:49.210 --> 00:11:49.709 Graham Stoddart-Stones: But you mean. 151 00:11:49.710 --> 00:11:51.789 Sam Frith: He's thrown me. 152 00:11:51.790 --> 00:11:54.449 Graham Stoddart-Stones: Notes all, and we'll just see the notes with you. 153 00:11:54.450 --> 00:11:56.439 Sam Frith: Yeah, let's do that. How can I do 154 00:11:56.690 --> 00:11:57.509 Sam Frith: you just get it. 155 00:11:57.780 --> 00:11:59.059 John Fagan: Then hit excuse. 156 00:11:59.060 --> 00:12:01.299 tristram cary: There are. That's fine. There are, that's perfect. 157 00:12:02.820 --> 00:12:05.490 Sam Frith: Bad. Okay, so I'm going to move your 158 00:12:06.070 --> 00:12:11.640 Sam Frith: lovely faces all over to one side so I can see it. I'm so sorry. So 159 00:12:11.940 --> 00:12:13.579 Sam Frith: let's start from the beginning. 160 00:12:15.780 --> 00:12:17.419 Sam Frith: Move my little notes down. 161 00:12:20.860 --> 00:12:42.109 Sam Frith: I need 2 screens to this. So I'm from Earth watch and I'm part of the Fresh Water Watch program. Earthwatch is an environmental charity with science at our heart. And each program we're aiming to connect people with nature. There's a huge amount of disconnection we we find. 162 00:12:43.498 --> 00:12:59.349 Sam Frith: You know. Now, everyone's working at home and constantly looking at screens. It's really nice to give people the opportunity to go out, connect with Nature and and see what they've been missing, or even just notice. You know what is now missing, that that might have been there when they were younger as children. 163 00:13:00.090 --> 00:13:03.790 Sam Frith: So we're looking to connect people so that they can 164 00:13:04.140 --> 00:13:07.919 Sam Frith: then use their data that they collect 165 00:13:08.860 --> 00:13:13.610 Sam Frith: to empower and facilitate change, whether it's 166 00:13:14.401 --> 00:13:17.690 Sam Frith: as as themselves and their behaviour or event. 167 00:13:18.400 --> 00:13:26.879 Sam Frith: and and can use their data scientifically, or or send that and make policy change for local councils as well. 168 00:13:29.090 --> 00:13:32.689 Sam Frith: So as fresh water watch we we've been collecting 169 00:13:33.227 --> 00:13:41.729 Sam Frith: globally for for over 10 years now. Scientifically based. We've we've used it to write over 40 scientific 170 00:13:41.840 --> 00:13:43.580 Sam Frith: and documents. 171 00:13:44.500 --> 00:13:46.590 Sam Frith: And yes, it's 172 00:13:47.310 --> 00:14:10.320 Sam Frith: globally is accepted by most equivalent of environment agencies around the world. Unfortunately, the minute England is the only place where the environment agency is is reluctant to use our data, which is a shame. But it is something we're pushing for, especially with the events happening in the next few weeks. We're gonna see what changes we can push for. And 173 00:14:10.560 --> 00:14:17.548 Sam Frith: then we've got that data. We can use that data. It's not disappeared. It won't go out to date. We can now use that 174 00:14:17.850 --> 00:14:20.100 Sam Frith: to to help make change. 175 00:14:21.511 --> 00:14:25.040 Sam Frith: So the things that we are looking for. 176 00:14:25.530 --> 00:14:26.970 Sam Frith: I can now. 177 00:14:30.190 --> 00:14:33.000 Sam Frith: Oh, sorry. I'm picking buttons. 178 00:14:33.210 --> 00:14:49.092 Sam Frith: So the things we're looking for when we're collecting data. Is your location, your body type. So because we're fresh water, we can only do rivers, streams, lakes, and ponds. We struggle. Our test kits struggle with anything with saline in it. So if it's 179 00:14:50.020 --> 00:14:51.649 Sam Frith: a tidal river. 180 00:14:52.070 --> 00:14:58.030 Sam Frith: especially by Estrus or by the coast, our our kids will struggle with that, so generally stick to fresh water. 181 00:14:58.319 --> 00:15:12.269 Sam Frith: We're looking at turbidity. So how clear is the water? That tells us quite a lot about the the health of the river, how much light gets down to the plants at the bottom, or how much like, you know creatures living in the in the river can can 182 00:15:12.420 --> 00:15:13.580 Sam Frith: C. 183 00:15:14.660 --> 00:15:27.240 Sam Frith: Turbidity also affects fish life, and we find that if it's really poor clarity of water fish become less resistant to disease. Their egg larvae isn't as successful at hatching either. 184 00:15:27.660 --> 00:15:31.420 Sam Frith: and watercolour plays plays a part in this. 185 00:15:31.790 --> 00:15:59.660 Sam Frith: We also ask, during testing, to do more general observations, we're looking at plant life, animal life. Have you seen a kingfisher. Have you seen a fish? And we get a little celebration when we do see a fish and signs of pollution? We also look for as well, you know, as a litter in the river, on the water around. And has it come from, you know, fly tipping? Or is it just recreational? And someone who's just been lazy and toss something in the river instead of the bin. 186 00:16:00.290 --> 00:16:06.139 Sam Frith: We're looking at the land use around where your testing site will be as well. 187 00:16:06.380 --> 00:16:09.465 Sam Frith: Is it agriculture? Is it commercial? 188 00:16:11.281 --> 00:16:17.459 Sam Frith: is that? Is there a pipe that's flowing into and contributing to that pollution? 189 00:16:17.940 --> 00:16:23.140 Sam Frith: And obviously we're going to be testing for nutrient pollution. So your nitrates and your phosphates 190 00:16:23.541 --> 00:16:33.029 Sam Frith: and although nitrates and phosphates themselves are not dangerous to humans, it we definitely use them as evidence of other things that we potentially in the water. 191 00:16:33.250 --> 00:16:40.740 Sam Frith: So you know, when you've got large amounts of phosphates, we'll be looking at sewage just because of a way that human process 192 00:16:40.780 --> 00:16:42.120 Sam Frith: as phosphates. 193 00:16:42.370 --> 00:17:03.000 Sam Frith: Not only is our drink water by the water companies to protect us from the water in the pipes, we as humans, it's a byproduct of us, and we produce even more phosphates. And by the time it gets to a sewage treatment works most of the time. Those phosphates are then not stripped out, that water before them being released back into the environment. 194 00:17:03.230 --> 00:17:07.509 Sam Frith: So when we see high phosphates, we are generally pointing more towards 195 00:17:07.530 --> 00:17:18.160 Sam Frith: sewage pollution nitrates. Again, it does come proportionally from sewage treatment works. But then we're looking more towards Africa. And 196 00:17:20.930 --> 00:17:36.860 Sam Frith: now, as we said earlier consistency is key. When we're taking these, when we taking these samples, we've got to make sure that our citizen scientists are trained so that we're going to be using the same method exactly the same time every time using standardized equipment. 197 00:17:37.100 --> 00:17:38.440 Sam Frith: and again 198 00:17:38.450 --> 00:17:45.509 Sam Frith: trying to make sure that your general observations are all going to be looking the same thing, and we're all singing from the same song sheet, as it were. 199 00:17:45.720 --> 00:17:55.240 Sam Frith: and same sort of descriptive consistency. So we all understand what brown water is. We all understand how to measure that that turbidity in the water. 200 00:17:56.980 --> 00:18:01.010 Sam Frith: Other things that we look for when we're testing are 201 00:18:02.110 --> 00:18:11.890 Sam Frith: algae, you know, is, is there an oily sheen on the water that could be leading more towards road runoff pollution. So from cars or leaky oil drips on cars. 202 00:18:12.679 --> 00:18:16.219 Sam Frith: or petrol stations stuff like that. 203 00:18:17.025 --> 00:18:20.980 Sam Frith: And then algae gives us a good idea of 204 00:18:21.010 --> 00:18:32.710 Sam Frith: the nutrient levels as well. The the more nutrients in the water, the more that the algae can feed on it, and then it just grows and grows blocking out lights, and then starting the cause of many of the issues that we're seeing. 205 00:18:33.131 --> 00:18:46.009 Sam Frith: Your water colour plays a part as well, green. You're looking more towards nutrient pollution. You know. There's more algae brown would be pointing more towards maybe runoff from a farmer's field. And you've just got high sediment levels there. 206 00:18:46.990 --> 00:18:49.290 Sam Frith: If you're looking at white and gray. 207 00:18:49.300 --> 00:18:58.889 Sam Frith: It's sort of more of a warning sign towards pollution of sewage and and we generally warn people if it's grey or or milky. Just take extra care 208 00:18:59.364 --> 00:19:03.539 Sam Frith: and then the the results will speak for themselves 209 00:19:05.620 --> 00:19:07.796 Sam Frith: in terms of collecting. 210 00:19:08.450 --> 00:19:11.299 Sam Frith: What we do is, we ask you, just to 211 00:19:11.580 --> 00:19:13.290 Sam Frith: test a sample of water 212 00:19:13.320 --> 00:19:18.049 Sam Frith: in the cup that you can see on the screen. There's a line halfway around it. 213 00:19:18.610 --> 00:19:22.949 Sam Frith: and that collects 1.5 milliliters of water exactly 214 00:19:23.090 --> 00:19:27.679 Sam Frith: in the tubes that you get. You have a set amount of reactant in there as well. 215 00:19:28.089 --> 00:19:41.649 Sam Frith: Be just a white powder which will then react and turn it all purple for phosphates. So as long as you've got the correct amount of water being completely sucked up into the tube that will give you a scientific 216 00:19:42.483 --> 00:19:48.250 Sam Frith: number and and result of of how high that nitrate and phosphate is. 217 00:19:49.517 --> 00:19:58.099 Sam Frith: We also got a little disc in the bottom right corner is a Seci disc, and that's how we measure our turbidity, our clarity of the water. 218 00:19:59.510 --> 00:20:08.670 Sam Frith: we provide our scientists with a long, clear tube, and they fill it up as much as they can until it reaches a set amount of a set number on the side of the tube. 219 00:20:09.040 --> 00:20:13.370 Sam Frith: so the higher the the water level, the lower the number. 220 00:20:13.400 --> 00:20:27.526 Sam Frith: so 14 is at the top, and then 2, 40 is at the bottom. That when we then match it with our nitrates and phosphate results, and the other general observations will give you the results of your 221 00:20:28.090 --> 00:20:29.949 Sam Frith: level of health in the river. 222 00:20:31.060 --> 00:20:41.000 Sam Frith: So these are the color cards. So after 3 min and 5 min these are the colors that your tubes will will turn, and you just run it up the color chart 223 00:20:41.240 --> 00:20:43.729 Sam Frith: till it sits between 2 colours. 224 00:20:46.850 --> 00:20:55.769 Sam Frith: we go between sort of 0 point 2 on one all the way up to 10 on nitrate. It's not point naught. 2 on phosphates at the bottom all the way up to one. 225 00:20:56.200 --> 00:20:58.072 Sam Frith: and we've sort of 226 00:20:58.590 --> 00:21:04.499 Sam Frith: We've arranged it so that this is going to be showing you evidence of low, nutrient pollution sort of results 227 00:21:04.520 --> 00:21:16.310 Sam Frith: when you get them in this area. You know, we're we're fairly happy with that. Nutrients are a natural thing we will find them, and at this level that they're fine, and shouldn't be causing too much harm 228 00:21:16.420 --> 00:21:18.520 Sam Frith: to your freshwater body 229 00:21:18.620 --> 00:21:20.740 Sam Frith: if we're going into the middle section. 230 00:21:21.220 --> 00:21:24.100 Sam Frith: there's definitely evidence of nutrient pollution there. 231 00:21:24.170 --> 00:21:30.219 Sam Frith: if you're finding that occasionally, you know, and and sometimes it then drops back down to the 1st section. 232 00:21:30.280 --> 00:21:48.349 Sam Frith: Then, you know, we'll we'll still say, probably you're you're okay. But once we start getting into that 3rd section, your fives and tens on nitrates, and you're not point fives and one on phosphates. You're you're looking at high, you know, high nutrient pollution levels there, and those on a consistent basis, month after month 233 00:21:48.870 --> 00:21:55.089 Sam Frith: your waterways in trouble. But there's a reason, and and we can go in and investigate and find out why 234 00:21:57.577 --> 00:22:12.952 Sam Frith: using our maps. All of your data, then gets uplight analyzed and uploaded onto our virtual map. You can filter this by dates with you, then want to look at nitrate. So just phosphates, or your turbidity levels, and we measure on a green amber and red light. 235 00:22:15.490 --> 00:22:17.339 Sam Frith: words escaped me. 236 00:22:18.000 --> 00:22:21.280 Sam Frith: So green being good amber being, you know. 237 00:22:21.560 --> 00:22:30.690 Sam Frith: average moderate red being high. You've got high nutrient pollutions there, and it's in a poor ecological status. 238 00:22:30.860 --> 00:22:44.530 Sam Frith: This map has been taken from one of our bigger group catchment areas which is in like river even load. So running from Morton and Marsh on the top top. West top left that all the way down to Oxford in in the bottom corner. 239 00:22:45.703 --> 00:22:46.690 Sam Frith: We've got 240 00:22:47.480 --> 00:22:57.539 Sam Frith: nearly 2,000 samples have been collected over the the past of 8 years or so by citizen scientists. They go out on the second Sunday of every month. 241 00:22:57.860 --> 00:23:08.499 Sam Frith: We'll taste the same site again and again, and we can. Then look at those data, look at those little clumps, and if it's been green, green, green, green for 3 months, and suddenly we get a red. 242 00:23:08.530 --> 00:23:10.537 Sam Frith: There's been an issue. 243 00:23:11.180 --> 00:23:16.530 Sam Frith: whether if by sewage treatment works, whether they've then sort of released a whole load of raw sewage. 244 00:23:16.570 --> 00:23:20.270 Sam Frith: or whether a farmers spread. And it just it gives us that 245 00:23:20.550 --> 00:23:23.649 Sam Frith: tool to be able to see if something's gone wrong. 246 00:23:26.460 --> 00:23:45.949 Sam Frith: Other citizen scientists, programs that we, a lot of our citizen scientists actually take part in are river fly counts. River flies are the little bugs that live in the rivers. So you've got your mayfly caddisfly stone fly, and each of these species gives you an idea of how healthy the river is. 247 00:23:46.010 --> 00:23:48.743 Sam Frith: They each have their own 248 00:23:49.450 --> 00:24:12.170 Sam Frith: I guess, level of pollution, tolerance. So mayflies are quite delicate. If there's too much phosphate in the water, and actually they really struggle to attach their eggs onto the stones. They sort of use a glue to attach their eggs onto the bottom of the river, and if there's too much phosphate, that glue just doesn't stick, and the tide just, and the current just takes the eggs away. 249 00:24:12.180 --> 00:24:14.260 Sam Frith: Then reducing the population. 250 00:24:14.655 --> 00:24:18.490 Sam Frith: They're like the canaries of the river, so if there's no river flies. 251 00:24:18.680 --> 00:24:26.370 Sam Frith: the river is in real trouble, but if you've got an abundance, and it just means that the health of the river's been there. The populations have been allowed to grow 252 00:24:26.973 --> 00:24:52.050 Sam Frith: we've also supplied them priority habitats training. And so if we go out and we do water vole surveys as well, which is quite fun on the even load. Especially, we thought water voles were extinct and had been for many years. And we suddenly got an email last month. Going, guys, is this? Is this a water vole so excited to see this one little 253 00:24:52.050 --> 00:25:04.000 Sam Frith: rodent just munching on grass on the side of the river? And yeah, we're we're now sort of raised that awareness. And I'm constantly getting a feed of oh, my goodness, yeah, I thought it was a wrap. But it's actually a vole. 254 00:25:06.740 --> 00:25:07.750 Sam Frith: so 255 00:25:07.760 --> 00:25:17.089 Sam Frith: in terms of things that we can do. Obviously, we've we've talked about the citizen scientists, data that you can collect for the freshwater watch program 256 00:25:17.170 --> 00:25:18.240 Sam Frith: and 257 00:25:18.950 --> 00:25:26.370 Sam Frith: but little things that you can do which don't involve training and don't involve going out every month and collecting data. And and 258 00:25:26.790 --> 00:25:47.760 Sam Frith: that long term commitment is just switching to river friendly plant based cleaning products. I don't know if you've ever read the back of a ferry washing up liquid bottle, you know, and toilet duck as well. There's there's just so many you can go into a supermarket, turn around the bottle and read. This product is harmful to aquatic life with long lasting effects. 259 00:25:48.020 --> 00:26:05.470 Sam Frith: Now, the reason this is so important is because many of our sewage treatment works don't take product out during that treatment process. All they're doing from my lovely picture on the left there is taking out anything that is 6 or larger. 260 00:26:05.680 --> 00:26:12.540 Sam Frith: So we're talking wet wipes. We're talking kitchen roll plastics, sanitary products. 261 00:26:12.940 --> 00:26:19.850 Sam Frith: anything that that's not going to break down I mean many of the the toilet papers as well. They're so thick. 262 00:26:20.280 --> 00:26:29.239 Sam Frith: But because the pipes, the gravity fed and going to the sewage treatment works, they're still arriving at the sewage treatment works in one big large clump. 263 00:26:29.360 --> 00:26:35.877 Sam Frith: So just being aware of what you're putting down down the toilet, what you're putting down the drains 264 00:26:36.660 --> 00:26:39.479 Sam Frith: is is going to help the rivers massively 265 00:26:39.877 --> 00:26:58.829 Sam Frith: and your water consumption as well. One of the reasons that is contributing to the the sewage spills we're having. Is it just not the capacity in these sewage treatment works to be able to treat all of us when we have a shower exactly the same time, 7 or 8 o'clock in the morning, or all flush or lose at the same time, or 266 00:26:59.220 --> 00:27:03.389 Sam Frith: especially during wet weather. Then sort of maybe turn on our washing machines. 267 00:27:04.870 --> 00:27:15.430 Sam Frith: And the general statistic at the minute is that as an individual, we are using about 146 litres of fresh water per day per person. 268 00:27:15.620 --> 00:27:20.589 Sam Frith: which is quite a lot, is is globally. We're one of the highest consumers of fresh water. 269 00:27:20.650 --> 00:27:33.899 Sam Frith: So if we can protect this resource, use a bit less water. Not only will it stop, you know, the the sewage release. Being such a poor quality, but actually there is, there is concern of of 270 00:27:34.190 --> 00:27:35.660 Sam Frith: fresh water 271 00:27:35.990 --> 00:28:00.249 Sam Frith: availability in the years to come. You know our population is growing so much. Our water companies haven't been upgrading that infrastructure to be able to treat it quickly enough. Climate change and with the pollution of rivers as well, our reservoirs, even the wettest winter on record, are not being able to be filled up because the pollution is just too high in Rivers to fill the reservoirs up. 272 00:28:00.740 --> 00:28:12.562 Sam Frith: So I'm aware that I spoke quite quickly through that, and I'm very sorry. But hopefully, I gave you a really good idea of of what it do, what we try to achieve. 273 00:28:14.430 --> 00:28:17.829 Sam Frith: and I'm happy to answer any questions that you might have. 274 00:28:20.031 --> 00:28:29.529 Graham Stoddart-Stones: Oops, Sam, that's really fabulous. Thank you, and thank you so much for your time, and for very, so intriguing in the stuff you're giving us? 275 00:28:29.946 --> 00:28:32.479 Graham Stoddart-Stones: There's a bunch of questions in the chat. 276 00:28:32.830 --> 00:28:39.240 Graham Stoddart-Stones: Are you able to see the chat from? Where are you? If you'd like to start with those, and then we'll go to the people who actually wish to ask live questions. 277 00:28:40.640 --> 00:28:43.599 Sam Frith: So the top I've got one from. 278 00:28:44.750 --> 00:28:45.809 Graham Stoddart-Stones: India think? Was it. 279 00:28:46.700 --> 00:28:55.110

Banter 25: Earthwatch Fresh Water, 26Jun24, Sam Frith

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Great UK Water Blitz 07-10 June 2024 - results:

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