Patrick the panda is getting ready to go exploring the pond at Queens Park in Glasgow. He’ll be using the OPAL water survey to find out about the quality of the water there. Are there lots of invertebrates there or is the cold weather keeping them away?
Matt, the OPAL scientist, has provided Patrick the panda with a water survey pack – it has a guide to identifying different species. Patrick also used the guide to find out that if the water is healthy then there may be species such as dragonfly larvae, but if the water is not very good quality then he might only find species such as pond skaters and water shrimps.

After he’s surveyed the pond he’ll need to remember to submit his information to the OPAL website so that scientists can use it to better understand the health of Scotland’s ponds.
Why don’t you have a look at the OPAL website and see if there are surveys you could carry out in your school grounds.
Remember- Patrick will go with a sensible grown-up to look at the pond- make sure you do too!