The use of Pymmes Brook, North London, as a resource and tool in Pollution and Monitoring modules
Contact details
Dr Veronica Edmonds-Brown
Department of Environmental Science
University of Hertfordshire
College Lane, Herts. AL10 9AB
Tel: +44 (0) 1707 285254
Fax: +44(0) 1707 285258
Email: v.r.edmonds-brown@herts.ac.uk
Classification Category
1 - Developing student appreciation in the disciplines.;
2 - Development of research skills.
3 - using teaching and learning processes which stimulate research.
6 - bringing data/findings from staff research/consultancy (professional practice)
into the curriculum.
Context
- Module titles: Pollution Pathways and Impacts; Principles and Methods of Environmental Monitoring; Final year projects.
- Course title: BSc (Hons) Environmental Studies
- Level: Undergraduate Stage 2 and 3.
What does the teacher do?
Staff from the Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Hertfordshire use academic research to illustrate principles of aquatic monitoring, pollution monitoring, field and laboratory techniques and report writing. (At Level 3, students also have the opportunity to become involved in applied research through the compulsory final year project.)
The work consists of lectures to provide the underpinning knowledge regarding water quality issues, directed learning and whole day field and laboratory exercises plus workshops. The main areas covered include: monitoring an urban watercourse in north London (Pymmes Brook) utilising information to give a water quality designation and includes chemical parameters, such as pH, nitrates and phosphates plus elements such as Pb and Cu using Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS) to detect heavy metal levels in the water, sediment aquatic invertebrates and aquatic macrophytes. The biological parameters include invertebrate collection and identification and use of biotic indices. Additional exercises for level 3 include issues relating to run-off coefficients where students calculate the increase in run-off from increasing urbanisation in a sub-catchment of Pymmes Brook - using the Wallingford method and the prediction of the likely increase in flood risk.
Students receive training and have to put into practice guidelines on health and safety, risk assessment, filling in of required COSSH forms, serial dilutions, acid digestion and calculations based on simple equations.
Final year projects have focused on the issue of eco-toxicological experiments to assess the level of metal pollution that will impact on the growth, development and reproduction of aquatic macro-invertebrates. The projects incorporate the concept of replicated samples and controls, use of AAS and statistical tests such as ANOVA. This is being fed into a data base of individual species tolerances for the local Environment Agency as a means of determining at what level of sediment contamination the Brook need to be reduced to for healthy populations to re occur.
Hot tips and things to look out for
Identification skills for aquatic macro-invertebrates may be at a low level.
Does it work?
Feedback has been positive. If included in examinations, students generally do well on that question, suggesting that it has been a positive learning experience and that they understand both the theoretical and practical aspects.
What problems/issues have arisen?
Identification skills
Details of support material/course work/assessment
Copies of OECD reports on Urban run-off, research papers etc. are made available in the Department's Learning Resources Centre and in module box files.
Field work is written up as an assessed report. Questions may be asked in
the end of year examinations.
Relevant references
Green, A., and Faulkner, H., 2000. An assessment of the suitability of the Environment Agency's water quality classification system for use in urban catchments. Journal of the Chartered Institute of Water and Environmental Management 14(2), 131-139.
Faulkner, H. Green, A. and Edmonds-Brown V. 2000. Limitations of quality designation in diffusely-polluted urban streams- the case of Pymme's Brook, North London. Environmental Pollution 109, 91-107.
Faulkner,H., Pellaumail, K., Green, A., and Weaver, T., Resident's perceptions of improvements in water quality following engineering remediation work on Pymme's Brook, North London. International Journal of Environmental Management.