Environmental issues are continually coming to the forefront of the attention of the public and government. Awareness of the challenges facing biodiversity and its potential to compromise the future of humankind have meant an ever-increasing demand on scientists to produce reliable analysis. However, obtaining data for sound analysis over a large geographic scale is intensive work and requires a large amount of time and effort. One solution is to draft in even more people to help scientists' work in the field. And this is where citizen scientists come in, to act as a bridge between scientists and data in the field.

Broadly used, "citizen scientist" refers to a lay person, normally resident in the vicinity of research sites and involved in scientific research. Often, the citizen scientists will not have received formal academic training in the discipline concerned but are trained on the job. They are also often involved in such projects because they are actively interested. Their role is to monitor collected data and to transfer it to managing scientists. This can be done in person or by post, and often was in the past; but with advances in technology it is increasingly being done over the internet.

The participation of citizen scientists in biodiversity monitoring approaches is important for two main reasons. Foremost, it often allows scientists to accomplish research objectives more feasibly, that is in terms of labour and time cost, than would otherwise be possible. In addition, citizen science projects promote public engagement with the particular research, as well as with science in general. This engagement will help people to be more aware and to take ownership of the results and it will empower them to understand global changes in their environment.

Citizen Science projects

There are several examples of citizen scientist projects in the world. Some of the oldest ones dealt with birds for example, a Christmas bird count by the Audubon Society which has been going on for over a century. There also is Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology’s work (University of Cornell) as well as that of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) here in the UK. More recently, the scope and scale has expanded. For example, localised monitoring of insects in Papua New Guinea (Parataxonomist Training Centre); the global water quality survey by the World Water Monitoring Day project and wild flowers in South Africa (Custodians of Rare and Endangered Wildflowers).

There are always new projects coming up with the progress of time, research focus and availability of technology. 

Citizen Scientists monitoring Snakes-head Fritillary (Fritillaria meleagris), Cricklade North Meadow, Wilts.
[image Yoseph Araya © copyright Yoseph Araya]

Does this work?

The answer is a resounding "Yes".  A number of scientific publications have been, and still are, dependent on data collected by citizen scientists. Some often make it to prestigious journals like Science (a classic case is that of the peppered moth, Cooke et al., 1986, 231: 611-613) and Nature (eg Novotny et al. Nature, 2007, 448: 692-695). On a practical level, citizen scientists have helped discover new species, and update the range and conservation status of other species (eg CREW in South Africa). Even when data is not used right now, it is very likely to be of importance in the future (for example, for long term trend monitoring). There is often a legitimate concern about the quality of data, but this can be minimised by taking all precautionary measures and post-collection vetting.

Involving researchers in raising awareness among the public also pays dividends in the form of appreciation and ownership of research. For example, work by paraecologists in Namibia has given researchers feedback on local community research needs and concerns (BIOTA-Africa).

Can you become a citizen scientist?

Definitively yes. The key thing is to find what you are passionate about and then link up with researchers in that field. Often there are projects aimed at involving citizens, and this is by far the easiest way to get involved. For example, the Open University is currently running a project on the evolution of the garden snail (Evolution Megalab). Other useful links are the Open Air Laboratories consortium, based at the Natural History Museum and the Phenology Network of the Woodlands Trust.

Overall, citizen science is gaining increased interest and credibility from both the public and the scientific community. So it is high time to go out and get involved.

Useful links:

Citizen Science at the Open University

Floodplain Meadows Partnership

BBC Citizen Science

* Please note, I am only discussing citizen science from the view point of ecology, my main discipline. However citizen science is applicable to others and has been used in fields as diverse as astronomy and computing!

About the author

Dr Yoseph Araya is a plant ecologist and associate lecturer at the Open University. He works on the biology and conservation of South African fynbos vegetation. Environmental education and the role of the public in research is one of his key interests.

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I left a cold and snowy UK earlier this month to go back to Central America to continue the geophysical measurements in Costa Rica and Nicaragua. The journey over was long but uneventful and this time US customs decided not to open the cases (breaking the locks) to check that the instruments were all in order with the paperwork. Why, oh why can’t they have a transit lounge at Miami so that you don’t have to immigrate for just a few hours on the way to Central America?

On arrival in Costa Rica, the weather was warm, but windy and the volcanoes, which should dominate the skyline, were obscured in cloud. The next couple of days were spent preparing equipment, talking with colleagues at the local observatory, OVSICORI (Observatorio Vulcanológico y Sismológico de Costa Rica) part of the National University, and giving a lecture on our results so far.

We spent a day trying to get up Turrialba volcano, but the weather was so bad that a landslide caused by the rain blocked the road and after an hour or so of queuing and waiting, although we got through, it was clear that it was too dangerous to proceed. It is so frustrating to get so close and then not to get to the summit to make our measurements. Turrialba has increased its gas output over the last few years, and we have been monitoring the gravity field at the summit region to see whether a new batch of magma is rising or whether this is just an escape of gas from the magma body, which has been cooling at the summit since the last eruption in 1866.

Masaya volcano from the airport.
[Image by Hazel Rymer © copyright Hazel Rymer]

On Sunday, it was time to leave the relatively cool breeze in Costa Rica and go up to Masaya, Nicaragua, where the elevation is lower and the climate at this time of year is much drier and hotter. The volcano is persistently degassing and we are working with a groups of Earthwatch volunteers to collect geophysical and ecological biodiversity data on the environmental effects and changing activity at Masaya Volcano.

Earthwatch volunteers taking gravity, GPS and magnetic measurements.[Image by Hazel Rymer © copyright Hazel Rymer]

We have a network of gravity stations, which we measure every year and we have shown a correlation between a reduction in gravity at the summit crater area and an increase in gas flux. Our earlier work has been published already and is freely available – "Gravity changes and passive SO2 degassing at the Masaya caldera complex, Nicaragua".

Volunteers installing a tiltmeter at the bunker near the crater.[Image by Hazel Rymer © copyright Hazel Rymer]

This year, we are setting up continuously recording gravity meters, making dynamic gravity measurements, magnetic, differential GPS and SP measurements to investigate the level of the sub-surface magma and the amount of gas within it. We are also conducting biodiversity studies to investigate the effects of the persistent degassing on the flora and fauna.

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About the author

Dr Hazel Rymer is Senior Lecturer In Environmental Geophysics at the Open University. A founder member of the OU’s Volcano Dynamics Group, her research is focussed on identifying the processes that trigger eruptions.

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We have a long term research project at active volcanoes in Central America. Our primary goal is a better understanding of the environmental and ecological hazards posed by gas emissions at persistently active volcanoes. Armed with this understanding, our second goal is to develop strategies to mitigate the environmental and ecological risk at these sites. We have chosen to conduct this interdisciplinary study at Masaya (Nicaragua) and Poás (Costa Rica) volcanoes because of the contrasting environmental conditions at each and the persistent, low level of eruptive activity. The aim is to track and quantify the volatile flux at each volcano from the source magma, through the volcanic plume, to the local environmental sinks in the soil and water, and the flora and fauna.

The local environmental effects of pyroclastic flows and lavas are obvious in their coverage and destruction of the land surface. Persistently active volcanoes by their very nature erupt in a regular manner and effects over time are not so obvious. These volcanoes may erupt magma - for example Stomboli (Italy) and Arenal (Costa Rica) typically erupt explosively every 20-30 minutes throwing magma tens to hundreds of metres into the air. For the most part however, persistently active volcanoes emit gases rather than rock.

We are investigating the processes that control volatile flux from magma and quantifying the long-term environmental and ecological effects of background degassing at these two persistently active volcanoes. The aim is to identify the relationship between acid rain and dry deposition of sulphur and to find out how this varies with local climate, soil type and volcanic activity. The idea is to uncover the path and ultimate fate of volatiles erupted at Masaya and Poás volcanoes from their magmatic source, through the gas plume and into the ecosystem. This will lead to a better understanding of the hazards posed by gas emissions at persistently and intermittently active volcanoes. Information on the transport mechanisms of pollutants will allow for more effective mitigation procedures to be adopted including (i) cultivation of acid tolerant crops to neutralise soil, (ii) evacuation of livestock and (iii) advice on the full evacuation or time-limited exposure for the human population as necessary.

As part of the monitoring programme, we are currently in Costa Rica and on 8^th January 2009 there was a 6.2 magnitude earthquake at Poás volcano while we were working on the crater rim. We were making gravity and biological diversity measurements at the time.

There was intense shaking of the ground for several seconds and it was very hard to remain standing. New fractures opened up around the crater rim and there were several rock slides as parts of the crater wall crashed down to the crater floor. We moved back away from the rim and sheltered behind boulders to wait for aftershocks or in case there was an eruption. The degassing from the crater increased in intensity and the landslides and shaking caused sulphur pools in the crater bottom to be disturbed so that the lake changed colour on the surface as yellow sulphur streaks appeared on it.

We climbed out of the crater area and felt a few more aftershocks. Colleagues in the crater bottom also emerged safely. The visitor centre at Poás suffered some damage with broken windows. Further down from the summit, local villages were severely affected. Houses were destroyed, some completely disappeared in landslides and floods. More than 40 people lost their lives in these events and emergency services were hampered by blocked roads due to fallen trees, landslides and collapsed bridges. After shocks are still occurring more than 24 hours after the main event.

We will be going back to the volcano over the next few days to resume our work. The gravity measurements demonstrate that there has been an increase in sub-surface mass, which we interpret to be shallow intrusions of magma beneath the active crater. We are also measuring the rate of deposition of sulphur around the crater area and also the effect on biodiversity.

Hazel Rymer talking to a group of students on the crater rim of Poás volcano.
[image by Michelle Spinosa © copyright Michelle Spinosa]

About the author

Dr Hazel Rymer is Senior Lecturer In Environmental Geophysics at the Open University. A founder member of the OU’s Volcano Dynamics Group, her research is focussed on identifying the processes that trigger eruptions.

Subscribe to Hazel Rymer's posts