1. Take a tour
The first step is to get acquainted with the service and find your own nearby waters. The easiest way is to type the name of the lake or sea area in the search field.
Can you find your nearby waters? Is there anything written about it? Are there active observation sites?
2. Give it a try
Register an account for yourself and start producing content. The Lake-seaWiki has a “Sandbox” where you can try both editing the text and saving the observations.
3. Establish an observation site
If you succeeded in your first step, and found your nearby water, it’s easy to set up an observation site. Go to the page of your nearby water and select the " Add a new location" link below the map.
The link opens a form to enter your location information. When you save the form, you are automatically taken to the site page you created, and you can start saving observations if you wish. In the future, you can always find your observation site on the map of your nearby waters or by searching with its name.
It is a good idea to set up an observation site in a place that is easily accessible and where it is easy to make different types of observations. Prefer a deeper beach where the water can change freely if you have options. Observations can very well be made from more than one place!
4. Start monitoring
The ice situation, surface water temperature and cyanobacterial situation can be monitored mostly without any special equipment. Building your own secchi disk and a water level scale can be the next steps.
