Help pilot a new citizen-science method to sample diatoms and explore what these microscopic algae reveal about the health of the River Fal.

Westcountry Rivers Trust is working with the University of Exeter on a student-led master’s project to develop and test a new diatom-sampling method for citizen scientists.

Diatoms are microscopic algae that respond to changes in nutrients and pollution, making them valuable indicators of river health.

The project has two stages:

Developing and piloting a practical sampling method for volunteers

Analysing the samples and exploring whether artificial intelligence could help identify diatom species

Samples collected across the Fal catchment will be analysed at the University of Exeter Cytomics Centre, helping to create species lists and an image library for the Fal.

Combined with water-quality and Riverfly data, this evidence could provide a fuller picture of river health—helping to identify where action is needed, inform restoration work and measure whether interventions are effective.

As a novel pilot project, volunteers will play an important role in testing and shaping this new monitoring approach

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