Modular River Survey
The Modular River Survey is a suite of field surveys for citizen scientists and professionals to assess the physical condition of rivers and how they change over time. By capturing information on habitats, vegetation, human impacts, and natural processes, the surveys help build a clear picture of river health.
We provide support and training for these methodologies along-side software tools for recording and managing data on a national scale. Select a specific project below for more information.
Professional Surveys #
River Condition Assessment #
The River Condition Assessment method provides environmental professionals with the foundation knowledge and software tools to enable a baseline assessment of River Condition together with scenario modelling options for forecasting target condition, as needed for Biodiversity Metric assessment and Biodiversity Net Gain reporting.
Citizen Science Surveys #
MoRPh Rivers #
MoRPh Rivers characterises the local physical character of a river channel and its margins over a river length of 10 m to 50 m, depending upon the width of the river channel. The short river length and detailed information gathered allow changes in the physical environment to be monitored through time to accompany, for example, biological monitoring or the implementation of restoration measures and other interventions.
Mud Spotter #
Mud Spotter records inputs of mud into river systems from sources such as culverts, pipes, ditches, overland flow pathways and eroding river banks. It is a rapid walkover survey that monitors inputs from individual mud sources along several km of river allowing sources to be mapped and monitored as they respond to rainfall events. Mud transfer through river systems is a natural process that influences the physical habitat structure and rates of change. However, the quantity and chemical quality of mud inputs are affected by human actions, and so Mud Spotter surveys support physical habitat and water quality monitoring.
Riverwood #
Riverwood is a rapid walkover survey designed to monitor the locations, hydraulic, and physical habitat impacts of wood structures in rivers whether created by tree fall, beavers, or humans. Riverwood surveys support the design of artificial wood features, especially those introduced for ‘natural flood management’ to function in a similar way to naturally-formed features.
Urban River Survey #
Urban River Survey captures the broad physical character of a river channel and its margins over a typical river length of 500 m. Developed from the River Habitat Survey, the Urban River Survey incorporates more information on the nature of human pressures and interventions within urban and suburban environments. It is particularly useful for exploring differences in river physical characteristics across river networks to give, for example, a picture of how physical and vegetation structural habitats change across a catchment river network.
MoRPh Estuaries (Pilot) #
Extends MoRPh Rivers downstream into the tidal reaches. It assesses the physical habitat condition of estuary margins extending across the sub-, inter- and supra-tidal zones of estuaries. It is currently being piloted with volunteers and professionals on estuaries around the UK.