Rivers, one of the most important water resources of our world. Over recent years, rivers have been polluted with various substances introduced by humans. Water is an essential resource and its purity is being dramatically endangered by our pollution and urgently needs protecting. There are various types of pollutants, some of which are general detritus, microplastics, oils, and the residues from chemical manufacturing and these are all contaminating our water resources not only endangering our health but especially the health of our planet. Without water, terrestrial and aquatic life cannot survive. Rivers act as the main transport of freshwater, and therefore need protection at all costs. However, this protection does not only mean restoring the natural ecosystems to improve their biodiversity, but also taking a look at the natural water balance of the river to ensure its health and track contamination due to pollution. Plastic, as a main contributor to freshwater pollution, can be found in rivers as eroded small particles which we call microplastics. These can be found in almost every ecosystem, but in rivers especially, which is why we will be focusing on protecting our rivers in regards to the concentrations of microplastic in them.

In our Workshop our main focus will be on general river pollution with a special take on microplastic in watercourses. As the accommodation is located on an island, surrounded by branches of the Danube river we will focus on the pollution of the Danube river and compare it with other rivers. In one session we want to have a small excursion to the Szentendrei-Dunaag to measure the flow velocity on the basis of which we can calculate the approximate amount of microplastic that could be deposited in the river (that’s just possible if we can get the equipment for this, but we are on it). Afterwards, we want to compare the data with other data from the Danube river and see if there is a difference or if it is similar in the side branch to the Danube. Additionally, if we can’t get the measuring equipment or don’t have enough time, we want to build a map in QGIS about the amount of pollution in the Danube, as it is the most polluted river in Hungary, mostly polluted by microplastic. According to the Wessling – Quality of life research group, the Danube river counts 50 ± 7.07 particles per cubic metre. Will we find the same amount in the Szentendrei-Dunaag river?

We are eager to explore the area to get results!