scholarly journals MaDCrow, a Citizen Science Infrastructure to Monitor Water Quality in the Gulf of Trieste (North Adriatic Sea)

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paolo Diviacco ◽  
Antonio Nadali ◽  
Massimiliano Iurcev ◽  
Rodrigo Carbajales ◽  
Alessandro Busato ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Sea Water ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Environmental Awareness ◽  
Sustainable Growth ◽  
Environmental Data ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Variability ◽  
Development Fund ◽  
Gulf Of Trieste

Within the United Nations Sustainable Development 2030 agenda, sustainable growth in the marine and maritime sector needs sea water quality monitoring. This is a very demanding and expensive task which results in the sea being largely undersampled. MaDCrow is a research and development project supported by the European Regional Development Fund, that involves citizens as data collectors while aiming to improve public environmental awareness and participation in scientific research. Its goal is to create an innovative technological infrastructure for real-time acquisition, integration and access of data, thus generating knowledge on sea water quality and marine ecosystem of the Gulf of Trieste. Data acquisition is based on an autonomous and removable device, developed within the project, that can be deployed on any small size sailing boat, recreational vessel, or fishing boat. The device holds low-cost sensors to measure pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen and salinity and the hardware and software to acquire, georeference and transmit the environmental data without interfering with the activities of the boats. In this work we analyze the use, capabilities and advantages of low-cost sensors but also their limitations, comparing, with a special focus on pH, their performances with those of the traditional ones. Applying the paradigm in a highly anthropized area such as the Gulf of Trieste, which is characterized also by a very high spatial and temporal variability of environments, we point out that this new approach allows to monitor sea water quality and highlight local anomalies with a resolution and spatial and temporal coverage that was not achievable with previous procedures, but yet at very low costs. Once received, data are then processed and submitted to a mediation flow that contextualizes and disseminates them for public use on a website. The final products have been customized to reach stakeholders such as tourists, fishermen and policy makers. The availability of information understandable to everyone, while fostering environmental awareness, stimulates, at the same time, involvement and participation of citizen scientists in the initiative. In the future, while committing to enlarge the number of participants, we will extend the analysis also toward other types of sensors.

Low-Cost, Man-Portable Autonomous Underwater Vehicles for Rapid Environmental Assessment

2008 ◽  
Vol 42 (4) ◽  
pp. 4-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Laszlo Incze
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Assessment ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Autonomous Underwater Vehicles ◽  
Underwater Vehicles ◽  
Environmental Data ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Variability ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Sensing Platforms ◽  
Near Shore ◽  
Development And Validation

The requirements to rapidly characterize environmental conditions in dynamic near-shore waters have greatly outpaced the developing inventory of traditional resources to conduct this sampling. Research vessels, remote sensors, and networked in situ sensing platforms (fixed and drifting) are often limited in availability, capability, and/or adaptability, with the result that surveys can not be rapidly conducted in areas of immediate concern to communities, industry, and military defense. Autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) have been evolving over the past decade, with the ability to provide rapid environmental assessment as one of the primary objectives. However, the trade-off of cost and capability limited early designs and prohibited broad and effective utilization of these platforms for environmental data-collection missions. AUVs capable of sustained performance for sampling dynamic parameters in areas of high spatial and temporal variability were too costly, both in terms of procurement and operation, and lower cost AUVs did not have sufficient performance for operating in these challenging near-shore conditions. The development of low-cost, lightweight vehicles for these missions has only recently occurred, enabling responsive, multi-platform surveys to capture synoptic characterizations of near-shore waters with sufficient resolution to support data-centric 3-D models and provide baseline data sets for development and validation of physics-based forecasting models. Recent survey operations with one candidate class of AUVs developed by OceanServer Technology, Inc. reveal the hardware/software status of state-of-the-art designs and provide a basis for developing survey strategies essential to effective mission planning.

scholarly journals Use of GIS in Hydrogeochemical Study and Quality Status From Pudukkottai District, Tamil Nadu, India

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muruganantham Arumugam ◽  
Sivakumar Karthikeyan ◽  
Prabakaran Kulandaisamy ◽  
Kongeswaran Thangaraj ◽  
Venkatramanan Senapathi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Groundwater Quality ◽  
Water Quality Index ◽  
Quality Index ◽  
Tamil Nadu ◽  
Sea Water ◽  
Sustainable Growth ◽  
Eastern Region ◽  
Rock Water Interaction ◽  
Groundwater Samples

Abstract This study focused on hydrogeochemical characterisation and groundwater quality deterioration based on drinking, irrigation purposes in Pudukottai district. Eighty-seven groundwater samples were collected from the bore and dug wells during pre and post monsoon seasons in the year 2019. The order of mean abundance of ions is followed as C l > HCO3 > Na > SO4 > Mg > Ca > K (325.5 > 182.2 > 181.4 > 83.2 > 51.1 > 35.8> 9.1 > 8.6 > o.9 > 0.3) and Cl > Na > HCO3 > SO4 > Mg > Ca > K (415.7 > 230.3 > 198.2 > 82.9 > 53.8 > 43.4 > 14.9) in both seasons. Analytical results are used in Piper, Gibbs, Na% vs. EC, USSL, and PI to evaluate the hydrogeochemical processes. Rock water interaction and evaporation processes causing variations in hydrogeochemistry of the study area during pre and postmonsoon. Nearly 15 % of the groundwater samples were not permissible for drinking based on the standard, which is distributed in south eastern region of the study area. It is revealed from Na%, SAR, RSC, MgC and KR results that majority of the groundwater samples are fit for irrigation uses. The higher concentration of EC, TDS, Cl and Na values noted in south region due to the sea water intrusion that attributed by excess pumping in the coastal regions. The drinking water quality index (DWQI) and irrigation water quality index (IRWQI) are calculated to identify the suitability of groundwater for drinking and irrigation purposes. However, this research concludes that the groundwater quality of maximum part in the district is appropriate for drinking as well as agriculture which can be used for the sustainable growth. It is also recommended implementing the artificial recharge techniques to improve the groundwater quality.

Bamboo Waste-based Bio-composite Substance: An application for Low-cost Construction Materials

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-48
Author(s):  
Teodoro Astorga Amatosa ◽  
Michael E. Loretero
Keyword(s):  
Composite Materials ◽  
Sea Water ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Construction Materials ◽  
Single Layer ◽  
High Strength ◽  
Green Technology ◽  
Experimental Medium ◽  
Natural Treatment

Bamboo is a lightweight and high-strength raw materials that encouraged researchers to investigate and explore, especially in the field of biocomposite and declared as one of the green-technology on the environment as fully accountable as eco-products. This research was to assess the technical feasibility of making single-layer experimental Medium-Density Particleboard panels from the bamboo waste of a three-year-old (Dendrocalamus asper). Waste materials were performed to produce composite materials using epoxy resin (C21H25C105) from a natural treatment by soaking with an average of pH 7.6 level of sea-water. Three different types of MDP produced, i.e., bamboo waste strip MDP (SMDP), bamboo waste chips MDP (CMDP) and bamboo waste mixed strip-chips MDP (MMDP) by following the same process. The experimental panels tested for their physical-mechanical properties according to the procedures defined by ASTM D1037-12. Conclusively, even the present study shows properties of MDP with higher and comparable to other composite materials; further research must be given better attention as potential substitute to be used as hardwood materials, especially in the production, design, and construction usage.

MEASURES FOR ENVIRONMENT CONSERVATION IN ENCLOSED COASTAL SEAS

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keizo Negi ◽  
Keizo Negi ◽  
Takuya Ishikawa ◽  
Takuya Ishikawa ◽  
Kenichiro Iba ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Pollution ◽  
Water Quality ◽  
Water Mass ◽  
Sea Water ◽  
Red Tide ◽  
Water Environment ◽  
Quality Standard ◽  
Tokyo Bay ◽  
View Point ◽  
High Concentration

Japan experienced serious water pollution during the period of high economic growth in 1960s. It was also the period that we had such damages to human health, fishery and living conditions due to red tide as much of chemicals, organic materials and the like flowing into the seas along the growing population and industries in the coastal areas. Notable in those days was the issues of environment conservation in the enclosed coastal seas where pollutants were prone to accumulate inside due to low level of water circulation, resulting in the issues including red tide and oxygen-deficient water mass. In responding to these issues, we implemented countermeasures like effluent control with the Water Pollution Control Law and improvement/expansion of sewage facilities. In the extensive enclosed coastal seas of Tokyo Bay, Ise Bay and the Seto Inland Sea, the three areas of high concentration of population, we implemented water quality total reduction in seven terms from 1979, reducing the total quantities of pollutant load of COD, TN and TP. Sea water quality hence has been on an improvement trend as a whole along the steady reduction of pollutants from the land. We however recognize that there are differences in improvement by sea area such as red tide and oxygen-deficient water mass continue to occur in some areas. Meanwhile, it has been pointed out that bio-diversity and bio-productivity should be secured through conservation/creation of tidal flats and seaweed beds in the view point of “Bountiful Sea” To work at these challenges, through the studies depending on the circumstances of the water environment in the enclosed coastal seas, we composed “The Policy of Desirable State of 8th TPLCS” in 2015. We have also added the sediment DO into the water quality standard related to the life-environmental items in view of the preservation of aquatic creatures in the enclosed water areas. Important from now on, along the Policy, is to proceed with necessary measures to improve water quality with good considerations of differences by area in the view point of “Beautiful and bountiful Sea”.

scholarly journals Land Cover Effects on Selected Nutrient Compounds in Small Lowland Agricultural Catchments

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 182
Author(s):  
Maksym Łaszewski ◽  
Michał Fedorczyk ◽  
Sylwia Gołaszewska ◽  
Zuzanna Kieliszek ◽  
Paulina Maciejewska ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Cover ◽  
Nutrient Dynamics ◽  
Agricultural Landscape ◽  
Predictive Performance ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Variability ◽  
Buffer Zones ◽  
Agricultural Catchments ◽  
Landscape Water ◽  
Seasonal Impact

The influence of landscape on nutrient dynamics in rivers constitutes an important research issue because of its significance with regard to water and land management. In the current study spatial and temporal variability of N-NO3 and P-PO4 concentrations and their landscape dependence was documented in the Świder River catchment in central Poland. From April 2019 to March 2020, water samples were collected from fourteen streams in the monthly timescale and the concentrations of N-NO3 and P-PO4 were correlated with land cover metrics based on the Corine Land Cover 2018 and Sentinel 2 Global Land Cover datasets. It was documented that agricultural lands and forests have a clear seasonal impact on N-NO3 concentrations, whereas the effect of meadows was weak and its direction was dependent on the dataset. The application of buffer zones metrics increased the correlation performance, whereas Euclidean distance scaling improved correlation mainly for forest datasets. The concentration of P-PO4 was not significantly related with land cover metrics, as their dynamics were driven mainly by hydrological conditions. The obtained results provided a new insight into landscape–water quality relationships in lowland agricultural landscape, with a special focus on evaluating the predictive performance of different land cover metrics and datasets.

scholarly journals Implementation of a Six-Layer Smart Factory Architecture with Special Focus on Transdisciplinary Engineering Education

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (9) ◽  
pp. 2944
Author(s):  
Benjamin James Ralph ◽  
Marcel Sorger ◽  
Benjamin Schödinger ◽  
Hans-Jörg Schmölzer ◽  
Karin Hartl ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Open Source ◽  
User Interfaces ◽  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Material Behavior ◽  
Sensor Data ◽  
Management Tool ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Programming Environments ◽  
Metal Processing

Smart factories are an integral element of the manufacturing infrastructure in the context of the fourth industrial revolution. Nevertheless, there is frequently a deficiency of adequate training facilities for future engineering experts in the academic environment. For this reason, this paper describes the development and implementation of two different layer architectures for the metal processing environment. The first architecture is based on low-cost but resilient devices, allowing interested parties to work with mostly open-source interfaces and standard back-end programming environments. Additionally, one proprietary and two open-source graphical user interfaces (GUIs) were developed. Those interfaces can be adapted front-end as well as back-end, ensuring a holistic comprehension of their capabilities and limits. As a result, a six-layer architecture, from digitization to an interactive project management tool, was designed and implemented in the practical workflow at the academic institution. To take the complexity of thermo-mechanical processing in the metal processing field into account, an alternative layer, connected with the thermo-mechanical treatment simulator Gleeble 3800, was designed. This framework is capable of transferring sensor data with high frequency, enabling data collection for the numerical simulation of complex material behavior under high temperature processing. Finally, the possibility of connecting both systems by using open-source software packages is demonstrated.

scholarly journals Development and Characterization of a Novel Low-Cost Water-Level and Water Quality Monitoring Sensor by Using Enhanced Screen Printing Technology with PEDOT:PSS

Micromachines ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 474 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bei Wang ◽  
Manuel Baeuscher ◽  
Xiaodong Hu ◽  
Markus Woehrmann ◽  
Katharina Becker ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Water Level ◽  
Sheet Resistance ◽  
Screen Printing ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Conductive Polymer ◽  
Water Quality Monitoring ◽  
Physical Treatment ◽  
Printing Technology ◽  
Screen Printing Technology

A novel capacitive sensor for measuring the water-level and monitoring the water quality has been developed in this work by using an enhanced screen printing technology. A commonly used environment-friendly conductive polymer poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly (styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) for conductive sensors has a limited conductivity due to its high sheet resistance. A physical treatment performed during the printing process has reduced the sheet resistance of printed PEDOT:PSS on polyethylenterephthalat (PET) substrate from 264.39 Ω/sq to 23.44 Ω/sq. The adhesion bonding force between printed PEDOT:PSS and the substrate PET is increased by using chemical treatment and tested using a newly designed adhesive peeling force test. Using the economical conductive ink PEDOT:PSS with this new physical treatment, our capacitive sensors are cost-efficient and have a sensitivity of up to 1.25 pF/mm.

Smart and Low Cost Real Time Water Quality Monitoring System Using IoT

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeba Anandh S ◽  
Anandharaj M ◽  
Aswinrajan J ◽  
Karankumar G ◽  
Karthik P
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Monitoring System ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Water Quality Monitoring ◽  
Quality Monitoring

Comparison and verification of four field-based microbiological tests: H2S test, Easygel®, Colilert®, Petrifilm™

2011 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 68-85 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patty Chuang ◽  
Stephanie Trottier ◽  
Susan Murcott
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Developing Countries ◽  
Standard Method ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Field Tests ◽  
Single Test ◽  
Total Water ◽  
Microbiological Test ◽  
Technical Capacity ◽  
Larger Sample

The UN defines water supplies as ‘improved’ or ‘unimproved.’ These indicators are easy to measure, but do not reflect water quality, which requires laboratory or field tests. Laboratory and test availability, expense and technical capacity are obstacles for developing countries. This research compares and verifies four low-cost, field-based microbiological tests: the EC-Kit (Colilert® and Petrifilm™ tests), the H2S bacteria test, and Easygel®, against a standard method (Quanti-Tray®). The objectives are to: (1) verify the accuracy of the four field-based tests, (2) study the accuracy of these tests as a function of improved and unimproved sources; (3) recommend a single microbiological test, if appropriate, based on accuracy and cost, and/or (4) recommend a testing combination, if appropriate, based on accuracy and cost. The tests of 500+ total water samples from Capiz Province, Philippines and Cambridge, MA indicate that two-tests systems gave better results than a single test. Both the 100-mL H2S test + Petrifilm™ and the 20-mL H2S test + Easygel® combinations yield promising results, in addition to being inexpensive. None of the field-based tests should be used on their own. We recommend further verification of a larger sample size and scale be undertaken before these testing combinations are recommended for wider use.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document