Rivers - Phytobenthos

PREVIOUS VERSION OF STANDARD

Phytobenthos are good indicators of nutrient enrichment and other pressures, and can be used to assess river water quality. Diatoms are the main plant groups that we use because their silica shells are easy to identify under the microscope. The method is based on the principle that different diatoms have different environmental preferences, so we record the species found, along with their relative abundance.

The method statement published in 2009 for the first river basin planning cycle, and its associated summary, have now been updated for the second cycle, linked below.

Method statement for the third cycle is now available.