An investigation into the recovering acidification levels in the River Etherow.

Abstract

This investigation studied the River Etherow in the spring of 2016. Research was conducted with the aims of investigating the possible recovery levels from the effects of acidification. it relied upon the previous data from the UK Upland Water Monitoring Network (UK UWMN) to access if any changes had occurred since their last publication in 2014. The UK UWMN is a large organisation dedicated to the monitoring of acidified rivers within the UK, and have been operational since 1988. It is comprised of 22 sites across the whole of the UK and is funded by DEFRA. It monitors the chemical and ecological impacts of acid deposition in areas believed to be acid sensitive. In order to test this, 4 elements were measured: Water levels, Soils, Species type and Vegetation cover, with the focus upon chemical parameters within the river and soils, these included: pH levels, Sulphates, Nitrates, Aluminium, Suspended solutions, Organic matter and moisture content. Physical parameters were measures with regards to the identification of the invertebrate species and the vegetation cover. This data was collected across a 3km stretch of the River Etherow and was comprised of 9 sample sites in total. The study showed that despite the varying parameters that could negatively affect the recovery rates of the River Etherow, it actually saw an improvement upon its previous acidification rates in 2014, provided by the UK Upland Water Monitoring Network, thus showing the river is in the process of recovery.