Epsilon Archive for Student Projects

Abstract

Nature based solutions (NBS) can have a role in mitigating two of today’s most pressing environmental issues: eutrophication and climate change. However, there is a need for improvement in the understanding of their effectiveness and potential trade-offs. This requires comprehensive, affordable, and reliable measurement methods. This study investigates the potential for using aquarium sensors and test strips in water management and citizen science as a simple, inexpensive, and robust method for measuring water quality in constructed wetlands. The study focus is on macro nutrients and proxies for greenhouse gases, and the method is benchmarked against parallel samples analysed by an accredited laboratory. The study also assesses the user-friendliness and cost of the method. Preliminary results show good potential for nitrate test strips which are evaluated using a smartphone app, as well as filtered colour of water as an indication of total organic carbon. Sensor measurements of alkalinity combined with pH and temperature can be used to estimate dissolved CO2 concentrations. Phosphate sensor measurements were often problematic but could be interpreted qualitatively. While these methods have some potential for citizen science and low-cost monitoring, results should always be interpreted with caution due to their relatively high uncertainty and low precision.