Please read all the information carefully before completing this questionnaire.
Participant Information
Across the UK, many freshwater ecosystems are experiencing more frequent and widespread blooms of filamentous macroalgae, more commonly known as blanket weed. The formation of thick mats on lake and pond surfaces have the potential to cause major ecological damage as well as looking unsightly and preventing leisure activities and conservation.
By participating in this questionnaire, you will be helping put together a UK wide dataset about blanket weed algal blooms to better understand the scale of the problem. Your answers will also help inform research into how best to manage blanket weed blooms whilst maintaining good ecological status and lake amenity value.
You have been approached to carry out this questionnaire as you work/volunteer with an organisation that manages a freshwater body such as a lake or pond in the UK. It is made up of 4 sections:
- General information
- Algal blooms
- Waterbody uses
- Management
The research is assessing the changes in quantity, distribution and frequency of blanket weed blooms in the UK including, but not limited to, National Trust water bodies. It is also investigating the impact blanket weed blooms have on the waterbody uses and what forms of management are being put into practice to reduce algae blooms.
It will take between 20-30 minutes of your time. Each section has a series of short questions that involve ticking boxes and some questions that require slightly longer answers. You will be invited to provide your email address for the researcher to contact you contact you for further research regarding the information you provide in this questionnaire. Please read the privacy notice on the next page for more information on GDPR compliance.
This questionnaire is part of a NERC and National Trust funded PhD at the School of Geography, University of Nottingham. I expect to present findings from my research at conferences and in academic and professional journals. All data will be anonymised so no participants will be able to be identified in these presentations or papers.
There are no foreseeable risks involved in taking part in this questionnaire. Taking part in this study is entirely voluntary and you may withdraw from the research project at any stage without having to give any reason and withdrawing will not penalise or disadvantage you in any way. To withdraw from the study please contact the lead researcher, Hannah Kemp via hannah.kemp@nottingham.ac.uk.
This research has been approved by the School of Geography Research Ethics Committee.
If you have any further questions about participating in this research, please contact me or my supervisors:
Researcher: Hannah Kemp hannah.kemp@nottingham.ac.uk
Supervisors: Suzanne McGowan lgzsm@nottingham.ac.uk and Alexandra Zieritz lgzaz@nottingham.ac.uk
If you are not sure or want to make a complaint, please contact:
School of Geography Research Ethics Coordinator: Sue Davis ttzsf@nottingham.ac.uk