The Ribble/Wyre observatory: major, minor and trace elements in rivers draining from rural headwaters to the heartlands of the NW England historic industrial base.

Information on a new observatory study of the water quality of two major river basins in northwestern England (the Ribble and Wyre) is presented. It covers upland, intermediate and lowland environments of contrasting pollution history with sufficient detail to examine transitional gradients. The upland rivers drain acidic soils subjected to long-term acidic deposition.