Clarity tubes as effective citizen science tools for monitoring wastewater treatment works and rivers
Improved freshwater resource management requires the implementation of widespread, effective, and timely water quality monitoring. Conventional monitoring methods are often inhibited by financial, infrastructural, and human capacity limitations, especially in developing regions. This study aimed to...
| Autores principales: | , , , |
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| Formato: | Journal Article |
| Lenguaje: | Inglés |
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Oxford University Press
2024
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| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/173001 |
| _version_ | 1855513289907240960 |
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| author | Graham, P. M. Pattinson, N. B. Lepheana, A. T. Taylor, R. J. |
| author_browse | Graham, P. M. Lepheana, A. T. Pattinson, N. B. Taylor, R. J. |
| author_facet | Graham, P. M. Pattinson, N. B. Lepheana, A. T. Taylor, R. J. |
| author_sort | Graham, P. M. |
| collection | Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace) |
| description | Improved freshwater resource management requires the implementation of widespread, effective, and timely water quality monitoring. Conventional monitoring methods are often inhibited by financial, infrastructural, and human capacity limitations, especially in developing regions. This study aimed to validate the citizen-scientist-operated transparency or clarity tube (hereafter “clarity tube”) for measuring water clarity as a proxy for total suspended solids (TSS) concentration, a critical quality metric in river systems and wastewater treatment works (WWTW) effluent in Southern Africa. Clarity tubes provided a relatively accurate and precise proxy for TSS in riverine lotic systems and WWTW effluent, revealing significant inverse log- linear relationships between clarity and TSS with r 2 = 0.715 and 0.503, respectively. We demonstrate that clarity-derived estimates of TSS concentration (TSScde) can be used to estimate WWTW compliance with WWTW effluent TSS concentration regulations. The measurements can then be used to engage with WWTW management, potentially affecting WWTW performance. Overall, these findings demonstrate the usefulness of clarity tubes as low-cost, accessible, and easy-to-use citizen science tools for high spatial and temporal resolution water quality monitoring, not only in rivers in Southern Africa but also in WWTW effluent for estimating compliance, with strong global relevance to the sustainable development goals (SDGs). |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | CGSpace173001 |
| institution | CGIAR Consortium |
| language | Inglés |
| publishDate | 2024 |
| publishDateRange | 2024 |
| publishDateSort | 2024 |
| publisher | Oxford University Press |
| publisherStr | Oxford University Press |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | CGSpace1730012025-10-26T12:55:01Z Clarity tubes as effective citizen science tools for monitoring wastewater treatment works and rivers Graham, P. M. Pattinson, N. B. Lepheana, A. T. Taylor, R. J. citizen science wastewater treatment water quality rivers freshwater monitoring parameters Improved freshwater resource management requires the implementation of widespread, effective, and timely water quality monitoring. Conventional monitoring methods are often inhibited by financial, infrastructural, and human capacity limitations, especially in developing regions. This study aimed to validate the citizen-scientist-operated transparency or clarity tube (hereafter “clarity tube”) for measuring water clarity as a proxy for total suspended solids (TSS) concentration, a critical quality metric in river systems and wastewater treatment works (WWTW) effluent in Southern Africa. Clarity tubes provided a relatively accurate and precise proxy for TSS in riverine lotic systems and WWTW effluent, revealing significant inverse log- linear relationships between clarity and TSS with r 2 = 0.715 and 0.503, respectively. We demonstrate that clarity-derived estimates of TSS concentration (TSScde) can be used to estimate WWTW compliance with WWTW effluent TSS concentration regulations. The measurements can then be used to engage with WWTW management, potentially affecting WWTW performance. Overall, these findings demonstrate the usefulness of clarity tubes as low-cost, accessible, and easy-to-use citizen science tools for high spatial and temporal resolution water quality monitoring, not only in rivers in Southern Africa but also in WWTW effluent for estimating compliance, with strong global relevance to the sustainable development goals (SDGs). 2024-09-01 2025-02-13T03:35:02Z 2025-02-13T03:35:02Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/173001 en Open Access Oxford University Press Graham, P. M.; Pattinson, N. B.; Lepheana, A. T.; Taylor, R. J. 2024. Clarity tubes as effective citizen science tools for monitoring wastewater treatment works and rivers. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management, 20(5):1463-1472. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/ieam.4937] |
| spellingShingle | citizen science wastewater treatment water quality rivers freshwater monitoring parameters Graham, P. M. Pattinson, N. B. Lepheana, A. T. Taylor, R. J. Clarity tubes as effective citizen science tools for monitoring wastewater treatment works and rivers |
| title | Clarity tubes as effective citizen science tools for monitoring wastewater treatment works and rivers |
| title_full | Clarity tubes as effective citizen science tools for monitoring wastewater treatment works and rivers |
| title_fullStr | Clarity tubes as effective citizen science tools for monitoring wastewater treatment works and rivers |
| title_full_unstemmed | Clarity tubes as effective citizen science tools for monitoring wastewater treatment works and rivers |
| title_short | Clarity tubes as effective citizen science tools for monitoring wastewater treatment works and rivers |
| title_sort | clarity tubes as effective citizen science tools for monitoring wastewater treatment works and rivers |
| topic | citizen science wastewater treatment water quality rivers freshwater monitoring parameters |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/173001 |
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