Water

Water is a valuable resource and we have a lot of it in Scotland. Aquaculture is a growing and important industry in Scotland. Learn about the condition of our freshwater and sea, and what you can do to help improve its quality and protect wildlife and habitats.

Topic sections

Information
Have a go
Data
Maps
Apps
Surveys
Resources

Floods and droughts can damage our economy and wildlife and affect our health and wellbeing.

The Environmental Science and Biology ‘codes’ underneath each link refer to the Higher and National 5 Resource guides produced by Education Scotland. These can be accessed in the ‘Resources’ section of bit.ly/glowsciences (N.B. you will need a glow log in to access.)

The Geography ‘codes’ listed below will link to the SQA Unit Specifications.

Early & first level

Information

Anglian Water - Resources - For teachers: Anglian Water's educational resources can help with your water topic.
Scottish Water - Education resources - For teachers: Resources.

Have a go

AquaInvaders - Are there invaders in your local river or burn? Some newts, frogs, crayfish and mussels aren’t native to Scotland. Help record where they are using this app.
- Learning outcome: SCN 1-01a
iDee - Help to record information about the River Dee. How is it flowing? Is the water level high? Can you see algae?
- Learning outcome: SCN 1-01a
OPAL - Water survey - What is the water quality like near you? Use this survey from OPAL to find out more.
- Learning outcome: SCN 1-01a
The great nurdle hunt - Look for nurdles on your local beach you can have fun and help show the local plastics industry their impact on the River Forth.
- Learning outcome: SOC 1-08a
Big pond dip - The big pond dip survey involves looking at garden and school ponds to see how good they are for wildlife.
- Learning outcome: SCN 1-01a
Scottish dragon finder - The Scottish dragon finder needs you to look for amphibians and reptiles.
- Learning outcome: SCN 1-01a
Big spawn count - Use this app to record the spawn of amphibians in garden and school ponds.
- Learning outcome: SCN 1-01a

Second, third, fourth & senior levels

Data

Bathing waters - Find out about the quality of bathing water in your area.
- Second level - Learning outcomes: SCN 2-18a & SOC 2-08a
Status of Scotland's rivers and canals - 2012 data & Number and area of Scottish lochs - Status of Scotland’s rivers and canals and areas of Scottish lochs. Click on the diagrams to view a larger version.
- Third & fourth level - Learning outcome: SOC 4-10a
- Senior level - Learning outcome: H.ES.Living Environment 1b
Improvements in water quality - Graph to show the length of Scotland’s rivers at each category of pollution. What do you notice about the trend over the past 20 years? Click on the diagram or graph to view a larger version.
- Senior level - Learning outcome: N5.GEO.Human Environments 1.2
Atlantic salmon production - 2000 - 2012 - How has Scotland’s salmon industry changed over the past 2 decades? Click on the graph to view a larger version.
- Senior level - Learning outcomes: H.ES.Earth’s Resources 2 f & H.ES.Sustainability 1 b
Rainbow trout production - 2000 - 2012 - How has Scotland’s trout industry changed over the past 2 decades? Click on the graph to view a larger version.
- Senior level - Learning outcomes: H.ES.Earth’s Resources 2 f & H.ES.Sustainability 1 b
Shellfish production - 2003 - 2012 - Production numbers for shellfish and mussels have changed since 2003. Are these changes caused by environmental or economic changes? Click on the graph to view a larger version.
- Senior level - Learning outcomes: N5.ES.Earth’s Resources 3c & H.ES.Sustainability 1b

Maps

Overall status of lochs - Do you have a loch near you? How healthy is the water there? Click on the map to view a larger version.
- Second level - Learning outcome: SOC 2-08a
Overall status of rivers and canals - 2012 data - This map shows the quality of all of the rivers and canals across Scotland. Click on the map to view a larger version.
- Second level - Learning outcome: SOC 2-08a
Coastal and river water quality in your area - Do the rivers near you have good or poor water quality? Why do you think this is? What affects the quality of the water?
- Second level - Learning outcome: SOC 2-08a
Coastal water quality in your area
Scotland's coastal and estuarine waters - Scotland’s seas cover an area larger than its land area. This map shows the boundaries. Click on the map to view a larger version. Click on the map to view a larger version.
- Third & fourth level - Learning outcome: SOC 3-14a
Water quality of lochs in 2012 - Map of Scottish loch quality. Click on the map to view a larger version.
- Third & fourth level - Learning outcomes: SOC 4-10a
Location of Scottish lochs - Map of Scottish loch locations. Click on the map to view a larger version.
- Third & fourth level - Learning outome: SOC 3-14a
Classification of Scotland's coastal waters - How clean is the water around the coasts of Scotland? This map gives more information. Click on the map to view a larger version.
- Second level - Learning outcome: SOC 2-08a
- Third & fourth level - Learning outcome: SOC 4-10a
Improvements in water quality - Map of waterway improvements. Click on the diagram to view a larger version.
- Third & fourth level - Learning outcome: SOC 4-08a
Flood map of Scotland
- Third & fourth level - Learning outcome: SOC 4-12b
Status of the beds and banks - Map of Scotland’s river beds and river banks and their morphology (physical quality). Click on the map to view a larger version.
Water quality status of rivers and canals in 2012 - Map of Scotland’s river quality. Click on the map to view a larger version.
Condition of water levels in lochs 2012 - How is the water levels in Scotland’s lochs? How might this impact on biodiversity? Click on the map to view a larger version.
Scotland's seawater - Diagram showing Atlantic water circulation and coastal water circulation around Scotland. Click on the map to view a larger version.
- Senior level - Learning outcome: H.ES.Earth’s Resources 2b
Aquaculture sites across Scotland - Map showing Scotland’s fisheries locations. Click on the map to view a larger version.
Overall status of estuaries in 2012 - Map showing the water quality status of Scotland’s main estuaries. Click on the map image to view a larger version of the map.
Floodmaps - SEPA provide up to date information about the risk of flooding across Scotland.

Apps

AquaInvaders - The AquaInvaders project seeks to determine the status of 26 aquatic non-native invasive species including 12 fish species. The data you collect will be submitted to the Biological Records Centre (Centre for Ecology and Hydrology) where it will be verified by experts and, in certain cases, responded to directly by the relevant authority. Once verified your data will be available publicly via the NBN Gateway.
- Available from the App Store
- Available from Google Play

Surveys

Scottish seashell survey - The Scottish seashell survey is a new project that encourages you to record molluscs and other seashore creatures around the Scottish coast.
- Second level - Learning outcomes: SCN 2-20b & SCN 2-01a
OPAL - Water survey - What is the water quality like near you? Use this survey from OPAL to find out more.
- Second level - Learning outcome: SCN 2-01a
- Third & fourth level - Learning outcome: SCN 3-01a
The great nurdle hunt - Look for nurdles on your local beach you can have fun and help show the local plastics industry their impact on the River Forth.
- Second level - Learning outcome: SOC 2-08a
- Senior level - Learning outcomes: H.ES.Living Environment 1 b, H.ES.Earth's Resources 2 f & N5.ES.Earth Resources 3 c
Big pond dip - The big pond dip survey involves looking at garden and school ponds to see how good they are for wildlife.
- Second level - Learning outcome: SCN 2-01a
- Third & fourth level - Learning outcomes:
Scottish dragon finder - The Scottish dragon finder needs you to look for amphibians and reptiles.
- Second level - Learning outcome: SCN 2-01a
- Third & fourth level - Learning outcomes: SCN 3-01a
Big spawn count - Use this app to record the spawn of amphibians in garden and school ponds.
- Second level - Learning outcome: SCN 2-01a
Forth nature counts - A landscape-wide wildlife recording project.
- Third & fourth level - Learning outcome: SCN 3-01a
- Senior level - Learning outcomes: H.ES.Living Environment 1 b & N5.GEO.Human Environments 1.1
The shore thing - This project works with schools and volunteer community groups to carry out intertidal surveys to record and monitor their local rocky shore for 22 climate change indicators and non-native species.
- Third & fourth level - Learning outcome: SCN 3-01a
The Froglife Trust - Species recording - In order for us to conserve reptiles and amphibians we need to know where they are and how they’re doing. Record sightings using this app from The Froglife Trust.
- Senior level - Learning outcome: H.ES.Living Environment 3 g
iDee app - The iDee project aims to directly involve people and communities in the River Dee catchment in environmental recording.
- Senior level - Learning outcome: H.ES.Living Environment 3 g

Resources

Predicted climate change information (PDF) - This table gives more information about the effects of climate change on Scotland.
- Second, third & fourth levels - Learning outcome: SCN 2-20b
Pond dipping - Watch the video on either Vimeo or YouTube. You can also read the video transcript (word).
Water clarity and pH - Watch the video on either Vimeo or YouTube. You can also read the video transcript (word).
Locations and types of industrial marine discharges (PDF)
Locations and treatment types of waste water treatment plants (PDF)