Report for the OPAL Water Centre : summary of the Geochemical Baseline Survey of the Environment (G-BASE) data resources relevant to OPAL research

The OPAL project is a partnership initiative designed to encourage the public to become more involved with the natural world. The partnership is funded by the Big Lottery Fund, led by Imperial College London, and is conducted throughout England. The project aims to involve the public in scientific research, resulting in a large volume of data to develop a greater understanding of the England’s natural environment. In addition it aims to: encourage participation in outdoor activities; develop educational programmes for people of all ages and abilities; enthuse a new generation of environmentalists; and develop partnerships between the community, voluntary and statutory sectors. OPAL is delivered through nine regional programmes, five thematic Centres, and a Support system. University College London (UCL) leads the OPAL Water Centre, one of the thematic centres, which aims to investigate the condition of lakes and ponds in England with respect to pollution impacts. The research aims to identify the scale of contamination from trace metals and persistent organic pollutants, and the extent to which this pollution affects the freshwater ecosystem (Davies et al., 2011).