Integrated sensing and sampling system for catchment basedresearch.

Simon Browning

Presentation Outline

• Introduction

• Catchment monitoring toolbox

• NERC DOMAINE Project

• Background

• Sensors

• Integration

Wavelength Environmental

What we do….• Sensors for water level, flow and water quality

• Wireless telemetry networks

• Integrated sensor systems

• Remote control and data visualisation

• Diffuse pollution and catchment monitoring

• Installation, maintenance and calibrations

• Groundwater and borehole monitoring

• Environmental science and research

Catchment monitoring tools

What’s in a Catchment Monitoring tool box?

• Sensors for water quality

• Options for monitoring flow and water level

• Automatic samplers

• Flexible wireless telemetry

These should all be:

LOW POWER

LOW MAINTENANCE

SMALL FOOTPRINT

Sensors for water quality

• TempHion – for pH and redox potential2 x AA batteries last 18 months, sensor stablefor 6 months

• Turbo turbidity sensorBuilt in wiper, external battery pack lasts fourmonths or more

• DO2 – dissolved oxygen sensorRobust fluorescence sensor does not requirefrequent calibration or cleaning

Sensors for water quality

• Hydrolab – with active anti-fouling for extended deploymentsTemperature pH / redox potentialConductivity Dissolved oxygenTurbidity Chlorophyll-aAmmonium Nitrate

• Cycle P - In-situ dissolved phosphate analyserDesigned for unattended operationOn-board reagent cartridges are stable for > 3 monthsSufficient for > 1000 testsMax. sample rate 2 per hour

• SUNA V2 – Submersible Ultraviolet Nitrate AnalyserChemical-free nitrate sensorDesigned for long-term unattended operationOptional bio-wiper

Monitoring flow and water level

• Area Velocity flow measurementAcoustic Doppler or electromagnetic sensorsCan be installed in river/stream channelNo need for flumes or weirs

• FLO-DAR non contact AV flow measurementDigital Doppler radar velocity-sensing plus ultrasoniclevel-sensing

Minimal maintenance

• Pressure transducersVented / non-vented options

With or without batteries and data logging

Portable automatic water samplers

• SD900 Portable samplerIntuitive and easy to useTime-, volume- and event proportional samplingMultiple bottle optionsPassive or active cooling

Flexible wireless telemetry

• ADCONCompact, low power RTUs (Remote Telemetry Unit)Designed for ease of deployment in the fieldCan build networks from GPRS and UHF radio unitsIdeal for large numbers of sensorsCentralised intelligence/control

• OTT NetDLExtremely low power IP enabled data loggerLocal control for critical applicationsMultiple sensor inputsCheck data and status on site with local displayLocal data download to USB stick

NERC DOMAINE Project

www.nerc-domaine.co.uk

NERC DOMAINE – Background

• Intensification of agriculture and greater use of fossil fuels hasled to an increase in the levels of Nitrogen found in our rivers

• Agriculture and waste water treatment works can produce anexcess of Phosphorus which then enters water bodies

• Rising trends in dissolved organic matter (including Carbon andNitrogen) in surface and coastal waters have been reported

• Organic carbon compounds in water can form carcinogenictrihalomethanes (THM) during water treatment processes,removal of these increases treatment costs

• Control of excess nutrients is required to help rivers reach goodecological status as defined in the EU Water FrameworkDirective

NERC DOMAINE Project

• Funded by NERC Large Grant – due to run 2014 – 2018

• Led by Prof. Penny Johnes at the University of Bristol incollaboration with Bangor University, the University of EastAnglia and the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology

• Assess the origins, transport and downstream export ofdissolved organic carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus

• Assess the ecosystem functional significance and widerenvironmental and human health impacts of DOM flux

Penny Johnes, Richard Evershed, Chris Yates, University of BristolDavey Jones, Chris Freeman, Peter Golyshin, Nathalie Fenner, Bangor University

Stephen Maberly and Chris Evans, Centre for Ecology and HydrologyTim Jickells, University of East Anglia

DOMAINE monitoring

• 2015 – 2018 field monitoring campaign

• 2 contrasting catchments – 3 sites ineach

• Hampshire Avon – lowland agriculturalcatchment

• Conwy – upland catchment comprisingmountain moorland, peat andcommercial forestry

• In-stream monitoring complimented byextensive laboratory analyses at themolecular scale

DOMAINE monitoring cont.

• Each catchment has two monitoring stations on the maintributaries and one at the base of the catchment

• 4 x ‘Lower’ spec sites comprise:• Hydrolab MS5 - temperature, pH, conductivity, dissolved oxygen• Hach Flow FL900 - velocity, water level, discharge• Hach Lange SD900 - portable sampler with 24 x 1 litre bottles• OTT NetDL 500 - data logger, sample trigger management

• 2 x ‘Higher’ spec sites add:• Hydrolab MS5 - same as low spec but with added turbidity• SUNA V2 - nitrate concentration, UV absorbance spectrum• Seabird ECO - fluorometers for chlorophyll-a and CDOM

DOMAINE sensors: SUNA V2• First introduced in 2008, developed from the original MBARI ISUS

UV LIGHT SOURCE UV SPECTROMETER

• V2 Introduced in 2013 with:– Adaptive sampling – responsive light output– Shortened path length – turbidity up to 1250 NTU– Outputs: Nitrate, absorbance at 254 and 350nm, full

spectra stored– Internal memory/ USB connection

DOMAINE sensors: SUNA V2

www.state.nj.us/dep/wms//NitrateSensorsProjectResults20110209.pdf

SUNA

DOMAINE sensors: SUNA V2Nitrate Free

Water

Nitrate RepleteWater

Absorptiondue to Nitrate

System integration

Triggered viapulse output

MODBUS to SDI-12converter

SDI-12 as standard

Data out viaSDI-12 option

HACH SIGMA 900 SDPORTABLE SAMPLER

HACH FL9000 AVFLOW LOGGER

SEABIRD ECO FL CDOM ANDCHLOROPHYLL

SEABIRDSUNA V2

HYDROLABMS5 SONDE

RS232 or analogueoutput options

Full spectrum accessible viaDB9 (RS232) connector

DOMAINE monitoring cont.

WOODEN ENCLOSURE WITHBATTERIES AND SOLAR

CHARGING

OTT NetDL 500

• Extremely low power data logger/controller – can take in multiple sensorinterfaces

• Collates and time-stamps data from allsensors in one file

• Raw voltages and calculated concentrations can be stored

• Local control means sample trigger is not dependant on mobilephone network

System integration…

TEMPERATURE

PHREDOX

DISSOLVED OXYGEN

CONDUCTIVITY

TURBIDITY

CHLOROPHYLL

CDOMNITRATE

UV ABSORBANCE

FLOW

WATER LEVEL

AUTO-SAMPLER TRIGGER

System integration…

NetDL Configuration

NetDL Remote Access

Conclusions

• We have a wide range of tools for catchment monitoring – fromSmart Sensors for key parameters to sophisticated analysers fornitrate or phosphate

• These are all optimised for low power, long term deploymentand low maintenance

• Often deployed at key points in a catchment – e.g. upstream/downstream of pollution source or intervention measures

• When a sophisticated, integrated suite of sensors is required –we have the tools and the expertise to streamline the set up andoperation

Seabird coastal will be taking part in the Alliance for CoastalTechnologies ‘Nutrient Sensor Challenge’

www.act-us.info/nutrients-challenge/

Challenge aims to accelerate the development of affordable, accurate andreliable sensors for nitrate and/or phosphate

Sensors must: Provide accurate and precise real-time dataBe easy to useBe capable of unattended deployment for 3 monthsCost less than $5,000 to buy

Testing February to September 2015 – results December 2016

www.wavelength-environmental.co.uk

simon@wavelength-environmental.co.uk