Citizen science approaches for water quality measurements

Citizen science has become a widely used approach in water quality studies. Although there are literature reviews about citizen science and water quality assessments, an overview of the most commonly used methods and their strengths and weaknesses is still lacking. Therefore, we reviewed the scientific literature on citizen science for surface water quality assessments and examined the methods and strategies used by the 72 studies that fulfilled our search criteria. Special attention was given to the parameters monitored, the monitoring tools, and the spatial and temporal resolution of the data collected in these studies. In addition, we discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the different approaches used in water quality assessments and their potential to complement traditional hydrological monitoring and research.