Mud or Fine Sediment entering river systems in excessive quantities can lead to serious problems for aquatic ecosystems by smothering and clogging coarser sediments, depleting the oxygen supply for aquatic organisms, and often binding with toxic or undesirable substances. Widespread concerns about the deterioration in ecological condition linked to fine sediments or mud entering sensitive rivers and streams have highlighted this as a physical pressure in many water environments together and a major gap in knowledge about mud sources and pathways.
The Mud Spotter survey and tool provides a simple app-based methodology for volunteer citizen scientists and professionals to record the sources and pathways of mud being transported into rivers during or shortly after rainfall.
Mud Spotter allows the rapid recording of water and mud inputs from individual mud sources such as culverts, pipes, ditches, overland flow pathways and eroding river banks. It allows inputs from these mud sources to be monitored as they respond to rainfall events and to be mapped along individual reaches of river. In this way, Mud Spotter complements other Water Quality recording activities and allows surveyors to input, view, interrogate and export data.
Data captured by Mud Spotter for each water-mud source includes its location; type and size; and the amount of water and concentration of mud being delivered into the river at the time of survey. Essential images and additional notes can be included in all records.
You can find out more about mud sources and the Mud Spotter survey by downloading the Mud Spotter Manual using the blue button link below:
Following a short basic training, all Mud Spotter surveyors will have access to the knowledge and tools needed to begin recording their data.
If you would like more information or access to Mud Spotter tools and basic training, simply click on the blue button below, we would love to hear from you:
Terms and Conditions
Modular River Survey training courses, including Citizen Science courses, are run by Cartographer Studios under their Training Terms.