Biodiversity and ecology of freshwater bacteria

The bacterial genus Aquirufa, which was discovered and scientifically described in cooperation with pupils, is the eponym and focus of the research project. The aim is to research the ecology, biodiversity and distribution of Aquirufa in water bodies through the active and creative participation of citizen scientists in the entire research process.

Many people only know bacteria as pathogens, although only a small proportion of bacteria belong to this group. Environmental bacteria drive material cycles and are involved in primary production; without their metabolic activities, the ecosphere as we know it would not exist. They are also absolutely essential organisms for our ecosystems, such as water bodies. Despite this importance, there is still a great need for research. According to estimates, there are probably several million species of bacteria, but only a little over 20,000 of them have been named and described. This enormous wealth of species is therefore still largely undiscovered. The project therefore aims to draw attention to this world hidden from the naked eye and to awaken understanding for scientific work, especially basic research.

School classes and other citizen scientist groups will collect water samples from self-selected or specified water bodies and process them microbiologically under supervision. Smaller groups will also work in the laboratory and help with sampling campaigns. With the involvement of the citizen scientists, newly discovered Aquirufa species will also be scientifically named and described during the course of the project.

Interested citizens can participate in the project in workshops in Mondsee and in the Weitwörther Au (near Salzburg). More information is available on the project homepage. You can also follow the project on Instagram.

Citizen Science Seminar

In 2023, poject coordinator Alexandra Pitt held a lecture about the project Aquirufa (in German) as part of the lecture series "Citizen Science Seminar" at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU). 

Video

Videos (in German)

This project fulfils version 1.1 of the quality criteria for citizen science projects on Österreich forscht.

Plastic Pirates - Go Europe! A Citizen Science Initiative to investigate plastic pollution along rivers

The pollution of beaches and riverbanks in Europe with plastic waste does not stop at borders. Preventing micro- and macroplastics in the environment, addressing this challenge scientifically and researching sustainable materials are therefore tasks we need to work on together across Europe.

Plastic Pirates - Go Europe! was first developed in Germany in 2016. Since January 2022, with the support of the EU Commission, the initiative has been extended to the whole of Europe as a European citizen science action in which school classes and youth groups (young people aged 10-16) collect plastic samples from streams and rivers and document their findings. The data collected across Europe is entered into a database and then analysed by scientists. Young people who are interested in science and the environment are given the opportunity to participate in practical research. They make an important contribution to researching the state of European rivers and the extent and pollution caused by plastic waste.
As part of the project, the types of waste identified by the individual groups (e.g. cigarette butts, pieces of foil or packaging) are recorded on a suitable river bank or stream with the help of detailed action materials and subsequently published on a digital map. The data collected by the young people will help science to gradually close existing research gaps on the occurrence, composition and production of plastic waste.

Interested school classes and youth groups are cordially invited to participate in the initiative. All information about the "Plastic Pirates" can be found on our homepage (www.plastic-pirates.eu/at) or can be obtained by sending an email request to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Podcast episode

In November 2024, team members Gudrun Obersteiner, Anna Noichl and Anna-Sophia Schlagmann gave insights into the project on the Österreich forscht podcast Wissen macht Leute - you can listen to the episode here (in German).

Photo Gallery

• Citizen Scientists on their way to the collection Citizen Scientists on their way to the collection
• Group discussion of the collection protocols Group discussion of the collection protocols
• Collection at the Danube in Vienna Collection at the Danube in Vienna
• Throwing of the Manta net Throwing of the Manta net
• group C at the microplastics sampling group C at the microplastics sampling
• Manta net stabilised with PET bottles Manta net stabilised with PET bottles
• microplastic sampling with minister of education Polaschek microplastic sampling with minister of education Polaschek
• Minister Polaschek collects garbage for group B with Viennese students Minister Polaschek collects garbage for group B with Viennese students
• group B sorts their garbage finds group B sorts their garbage finds
• Garbage gets sorted Garbage gets sorted
• group B counts and documents their finds group B counts and documents their finds
• Picture for the data validation of the results of group B Picture for the data validation of the results of group B
• group A documents a photo of their transects for the data validation group A documents a photo of their transects for the data validation
• after uploading the data onto the website, they can be seen on the interactive map after uploading the data onto the website, they can be seen on the interactive map
• Plastic Pirates at the European Researchers' Night Plastic Pirates at the European Researchers' Night
• Microplastics Danube wetlands Microplastics Danube wetlands
• Plastic Litter National Park Donauauen Plastic Litter National Park Donauauen
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This project fulfils version 1.1 of the quality criteria for citizen science projects on Österreich forscht.

CrowdWater is a hydrological citizen science project of the University of Zurich. CrowdWater uses an app to collect data about water. No prior knowledge is required to participate.

What is the project about?

CrowdWater stands for independent and reliable data collection by anyone with an interest in water. The observations collected with the CrowdWater app can complement existing measurements and be used for hydrological modeling. The method is being developed in Zurich and will also be used in remote areas and regions with low data availability. 

How can interested citizen participate?

With the CrowdWater app for Android and iOS, participants can collect data on water levels (with physical and virtual staff gauges), soil moisture, the condition of temporary streams, plastic pollution and water body type independently and without measuring devices. New observation stations can be created anywhere in the world or additional observations can be added to an existing station.

In the CrowdWater online game, the data quality of the uploads in the category "virtual staff gauge" is checked and if needed improved by contributing citizen scientists.

What happens with the data?

The data are published anonymously on our homepage and can be used for free for own projects. In the research project, the data is used for hydrological modeling so that its potential can be investigated. Two PhDs have already been completed in the CrowdWater project, and two more PhDs are currently ongoing. Currently, the focus is on temporary streams and water quality observations. The publications that have come out of the project so far can be found here. What the current research team is working on can be read here.

Interactive map:

Citizen Science Seminar

In 2022, poject coordinator Jan Seibert held a lecture about Crowdwater as part of the lecture series "Citizen Science Seminar" at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU): "What we can all observe - Experiences from the CrowdWater Project" (in German). Here, you can watch the video recording of the lecture on our YouTube-channel: 

This project fulfils version 1.1 of the quality criteria for citizen science projects on Österreich forscht.