This expedition was a six‑week environmental science venture undertaken by four final‑year students between July and August 1998. The expedition aimed to investigate pollution in Ukraine, focusing on two complementary methods: biomonitoring of river health using benthic macroinvertebrates and geochemical surveying of river sediments. The team travelled across the country in a privately owned vehicle, enabling them to access remote sites along the Dnieper and its tributaries.
The team sought to assess river health by applying the Biological Monitoring Working Party (BMWP) system to evaluate water quality via aquatic invertebrate communities. Fieldwork included sampling at sites near Kaniv, Kremenchuk, and along the Stugna River. The team successfully collected macroinvertebrate samples representing oligochaetes, leeches, molluscs, crustaceans, and fish fry. Absence of mayfly and stonefly larvae reflected the lowland nature of the rivers surveyed.