Experimental Prototype Of A Remote Controlled Platform To Monitor Water Quality Data
- Conference
- Location
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Louisville, Kentucky
- Publication Date
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June 20, 2010
- Start Date
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June 20, 2010
- End Date
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June 23, 2010
- ISSN
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2153-5965
- Conference Session
- Tagged Division
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Instrumentation
- Page Count
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13
- Page Numbers
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15.558.1 - 15.558.13
- DOI
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10.18260/1-2--16892
- Permanent URL
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https://peer.asee.org/16892
- Download Count
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500
Paper Authors
Abhijit Nagchaudhuri University of Maryland, Eastern Shore
Madhumi Mitra University of Maryland, Eastern Shore
Madhumi Mitra is a Associate Professor in the Department of Natural Science at University of Maryland Eastern Shore(UMES). She serves as the Director of Marine Ecology and Paleontology Laboratory and the Coordinator of Biology and Chemistry Education at UMES. She obtained her bachelors degree from the Botany Department at Presidency College and Master's degree from Ballygunge Science Colled from Calcutta University in India and doctoral degree from the Botany Department at North Carolina State University in 2002.
Xavier Henry University of Maryland, Eastern Shore
Mr. Xavier Henry obtained his bachelors degree from the Department of Engineering and Aviation Sciences at University of Maryland Eastern Shore(UMES). He is currently pursuing a master's degree under the supervision of Professor Nagchaudhuri at UMES. His research interests are in precision agriculture and remote sensing.
Dayvon Green Morgan State University
Mr. Dayvon Green is a junior in the Industrial, Manufacturing and Information Engineering Department at Morgan State University. He spent the 2009 summer at University of Maryland Eastern Shore on a NASA supported student exchange program to initiate some of the work on the " AQUABOT" project.
Abstract
NOTE: The first page of text has been automatically extracted and included below in lieu of an abstract
Experimental Prototype of a Remote-Controlled Platform to Monitor Water Quality Data
Abstract Eutrophication (nutrient-enrichment) leading to algal blooms is a serious threat to the coastal bays and the open oceans. As a consequence of this algal proliferation, changes in pH, salinity, dissolved oxygen, and turbidity could impact various marine and estuarine ecosystems in an adverse manner. This provided the motivation to develop a multisensory remote-controlled platform for applications in recording the water quality data from the coastal bays of the Delmarva Peninsula; as well as to analyze and compare the pH, salinity, and dissolved oxygen data trends from the platform to the multi-parameter YSI unit; and to map the sensor data using geospatial information technologies. A cost-effective Lego Mindstorm’s NXT system in combination with a radio-controlled boat and Geographical Positioning System (GPS) was configured for this purpose as a summer (2009) experiential learning and research project for an undergraduate engineering student. Preliminary tests were done with the platform for recording data from the Assateague (Maryland) and Chincoteague (Virginia) Bays of the Delmarva Peninsula in areas where seagrass ecosystems are impacted by increased eutrophic conditions. The faculty members in the department of Natural Sciences and Engineering programs at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) collaborated to initiate this effort in the summer. They have integrated project assignments related to enhancement, data collection, and data analysis utilizing the multi-sensor platform in Marine Botany and Instrumentation courses offered in the fall to undergraduate students in the environmental sciences and engineering majors respectively,. This paper highlights the summer efforts and the subsequent student learning experiences during the fall semester involving this experimental platform. Future educational and research efforts to develop and use an autonomous water quality data collection system for lakes, rivers, and bays are underway.
1.0 Introduction
The problem of water eutrophication has become very severe worldwide. The nutritive organic wastes resulting from land runoff, river inflow, or sewage discharged into the coastal areas with low rates of water exchange often could lead to proliferation of the growth of excessive amounts of both micro and macroalgae.1 The water body impacted is termed “eutrophic” (nutrient enrichment), and the proliferated algal biomass in such bodies of water could lead to increased turbidity, and altering conditions of pH, salinity, and oxygen depletion. An increased turbidity
Nagchaudhuri, A., & Mitra, M., & Henry, X., & Green, D. (2010, June), Experimental Prototype Of A Remote Controlled Platform To Monitor Water Quality Data Paper presented at 2010 Annual Conference & Exposition, Louisville, Kentucky. 10.18260/1-2--16892
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