Researchers at the University of Stirling have been awarded a £670,000 grant to develop a new system for monitoring freshwater quality in the UK.
Freshwater ecosystems are critical to biodiversity and human health, but they are under pressure from a range of catchment and climate stressors.
The SenseH2O project will develop a cost-effective system for monitoring water quality in real time using cutting edge technology. The researchers are looking to develop a scalable, integrated systems-based approach to monitoring water quality from headwaters to river outlets.
The project, which will be led by Dr Peter Hunter, Science Director in Scotland's International Environment Centre at the University of Stirling, is funded by a £670,000 grant from NERC (Natural Environment Research Council) and Defra (Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs) under the Innovation in Environmental Monitoring programme. SEPA (Scottish Environment Protection Agency) and Scottish Water will be partners on the project.
Dr Hunter said:
“We are delighted to have received this funding from NERC and Defra, and to be partnering with SEPA and Scottish Water on this exciting new project.
“Our ability to measure changes in water quality at scale is fundamental to understanding the combined effects of human and climate pressures on freshwater ecosystems.
“The SenseH2O project will develop a scalable, low-cost approach for real-time water quality monitoring by integrating the latest in sensor technologies, data pipelines powered by artificial intelligence, and web-enabled data visualisation to transform how we monitor and manage freshwater ecosystems in the UK.”
The project is one of 13 to benefit from a £12 million NERC and Defra investment in new technologies for monitoring the state of UK waterways, habitats, soil, and air. Science Minister Andrew Griffith said:
“This £12 million backing for research will unlock game-changing tools to track biodiversity and monitor water quality, which are key to those efforts. Not only will these technologies help us protect the environment, but this support will boost the businesses behind them, by bringing these tools to market sooner.”
Dr Iain Williams, Director of Strategic Partnerships for NERC, said:
“This investment by NERC and Defra will help to deliver a step-change in environmental monitoring, modelling and decision-making. It supports UKRI’s ambition to help businesses to grow through the development and commercialisation of new products, processes, and services, supported by an outstanding research and innovation ecosystem.”
The investment will enable researchers and innovators to harness the potential of new sensing and monitoring technologies, artificial intelligence, and high-performance computing to create new information services for research, government and businesses.
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