Ntawoba creek traverses Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Inhabitants discharge wastes of all kinds into the creek and the creek is heavily polluted. The enforcement of environmental laws on waste discharge is poor. Automobile mechanics and other artisans use the creek as receptor of wastes. The creek is tidal and so the monitoring of contaminant profile becomes complex. Which method can we use to monitor the concentrations of pollutants?
I think you can use Artificial Mussel (AM) technology to monitor and to identify the contaminant profile across the tidal creek. For further information, you can talk to Dr. Rudolf Wu from the University of Hong Kong.
Using analytical methods listed above, the Pollution Load Index or Index of Geoaccumulation can be used to measure concentrations in sediment, which may complement water quality monitoring to give an overall assessment of the level of pollution.
We in the Washington routinley use a Priority Pollutant Scan (GC/MS) (http://water.epa.gov/scitech/methods/cwa/pollutants-background.cfm) and a whole effluent toxicity test WET Test (http://water.epa.gov/scitech/methods/cwa/wet/) to assess water quality beyond conventional parameters.
Other types of assessment tools include: Biologic indicatiors, point of use devices semi permeable membranes that can collect samples over an extended period of time for low concentrations parameters.
Tidal work is complicated by tidal mixing. You need to understand the site specific processes. CORMIX Mixing model can handle that.
Not to toot our own horn but check out the Washington State Department of Ecology Website (www.ecy.wa.gov/) you might get some insight there.
I agree with Hugh knowing that an environment like a tidal creek pollutant concentration in water samples will be constantly changing. One may only depend on samples that accumulation of pollutant over time. Thus sediments at different levels of depth together with localized biological samples may suffice in such pollutant profiling.
you will need to access the various groups of contaminants in almost all the different components environment especially sediment and water as priority since the interest is contaminant profile. you will need to look at organic, biological and inorganic contaminants indicator parameters. this should give an array of parameter as profile for the study area. this means that you will have to combine several techniques as depicted by parameter in question. best of luck
Is there a system whereby citizens can call, text, or otherwise contact the relevant authorities when they visually observe gross contamination on the water surface (like oil and other floatables)? At least large spills can be recorded this way. I know one Canadian city that has such a program whereby people call the fire department, which has a hazardous materials division that can respond or investigate spills.
If most of the pollution is from hydrocarbons, perhaps consider the "Hydrocarbon Oil Index" method (ISO 9377-2) which uses solvent extraction and GC-FID. There is also the chemical oxygen demand test or COD test (Standard Method 5220).
first you need to define your pollutants and later you can choose the methods and insturments
regards
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