Methods guide
Common research methods - step by step
A collection of practical guides to proven measurement methods. For those who measure in the field: students, ecologists, citizen-science communities.
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Amphibian monitoring - counts in the breeding season and at crossings
Spring amphibian migrations are teamwork, often nocturnal and without signal. How to count amphibians at sites and along fences, what to record and how to handle the whole group's data in one place.
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Pheromone bark-beetle traps - monitoring and counting catches
The number of bark beetles in traps tells you when, and how strongly, the swarming threatens spruce stands. How to run pheromone-trap monitoring, what to note and how an alert warns of a breached threshold.
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Small-scale forest water retention - monitoring retention structures
Weirs, ponds and sills hold water back in the forest, but only measurement shows whether they work. How to monitor the water level in small-retention structures and read it together with rainfall.
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Counting waterbirds - how to conduct and record it
Counting birds on wetlands is teamwork done in the field. How to divide sectors, count waterbirds and record species numbers when there is no signal by the water.
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Mapping aquatic vegetation (macrophytes) - field methodology
Macrophytes are a living indicator of the state of waters. How to map aquatic vegetation along transects, how to assess species cover, and how to handle the data as a team without signal.
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Fish monitoring - electrofishing step by step
Electrofishing is the standard way of surveying fish communities in rivers. How to run an electrofishing survey as a team, what to record and how to handle field data without signal - a practical guide.
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Detecting water pollution - a sentinel sensor on conductivity and pH
A sudden spike in conductivity or a change in pH betrays an inflow of pollution, often before anything is visible. How to set up a continuous sentinel measurement and how an alert lets you catch the event red-handed.
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Continuous oxygen monitoring - early warning of oxygen crashes
Oxygen depletion can kill fish in a few hours, most often before dawn. How to run continuous oxygen measurement and how a threshold alert buys time to react before an oxygen crash.
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Continuous water temperature monitoring - and how not to lose your probe in winter
Loggers and probes measure water temperature non-stop, but in winter ice threatens them. How to run continuous monitoring, what to watch for during freezing, and how an alert protects equipment and the ecosystem.
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Air quality - measuring PM2.5 and PM10 particulate matter
Particulate matter depends on emissions and on the weather. How to measure PM2.5/PM10 with a sensor, how to read the result together with GIOŚ and weather data, and how to build a reliable series.
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Cyanobacterial blooms and chlorophyll-a - how to monitor them
Cyanobacterial blooms depend on weather and water fertility. How to run observations and measurements (transparency, chlorophyll-a), what to watch for, and how to combine them with weather data.
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Water level - measuring the stage on a gauge
A daily water-level reading is the foundation of hydrology. How to measure the level on a staff gauge, how to read it together with rainfall and public hydrological data, and how to run a series.
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Soil pH and moisture - field measurement
Two basic soil measurements that determine the life of plants and the ecosystem. How to measure soil pH and moisture in the field, how to take a representative sample and what the result means.
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Water turbidity - how to measure it and what it means (NTU/FNU)
Turbidity quickly reveals runoff, erosion and blooms. How to measure it with a turbidimeter and a simple turbidity tube, in which units (NTU/FNU), and how to run a series.
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Collecting and preserving water samples - field methodology
A lab result is only as good as the sample. How to take a representative water sample, choose the container, preserve the sample and deliver it on time - step by step.
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River discharge - how to measure it in the field
How much water does a river carry? How to measure discharge with the velocity-area method and the simpler float method, what equipment to use, and how to measure cyclically.
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Water temperature and thermal stratification of a lake - how to measure it
A vertical temperature profile reveals a lake's hidden structure. How to measure it layer by layer, how to recognise the thermocline, and how to track stratification through the season.
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Water pH and electrical conductivity - field measurement
The two most common field measurements of water quality. How to measure pH and electrical conductivity correctly, how to calibrate the equipment, what the result means, and how to run a series.
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Benthic macroinvertebrates - a living indicator of water cleanliness
Tiny organisms from the bottom can assess water quality better than a single chemical measurement. How to run a simple bioindication study and how to record results over time.
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Dissolved oxygen in water - how to measure it and what it means
Dissolved oxygen determines life in water. How to measure it with a probe and the Winkler method, why the result changes over the day, and how to measure it systematically.
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The Secchi disk - how to measure water transparency
A simple method, proven since 1865, for measuring water transparency. How to take a Secchi disk reading step by step, what the result means, and how to do it systematically.