Modulus Aquatic Research Station with Automatic Vertical Profiling
The project focuses on making a research station to study Blue-Green algae (a common type of cyanobacteria).
Research Project:
- SCUM Lab @ Hanson Hall of Science
- Dr. Jackie Opfer (PI)
- Augustana Summer Fellowship Grant
- Engineering & Physics
- Abstract submitted for March 2024 Annual APS Meeting
Abstract
Harmful algal blooms (HABs) pose a dangerous threat to both aquatic life and human health, largely due to the toxin-producing capabilities of harmful algae. The most common type of bloom-forming algae is cyanobacteria, commonly known as blue-green algae (BGA). BGA thrives in warm, nutrient-rich water, and both average surface water temperatures and nutrient loads are increasing in lakes across the globe due to climate change. The ability to forecast HAB formation is becoming an increasingly pertinent task, and it is impossible to give out early warning by manually taking field samples and then analyzing the samples in a laboratory. In order to model bloom dynamics and predict the onset of blooms, a long-duration and high frequency automatic monitoring system is needed. This engineering research project focuses on the development (designing, building, and testing) of such a monitoring station, consisting of an aquatic floating platform, an attached meteorological station, and a multiparameter probe for measuring various water quality parameters. A motorized reel was built to send the probe to specific depths in the water column at pre-configured periods, allowing for pseudo-continuous profiles of water quality parameters. Data is automatically transmitted to a cloud server so the data can be remotely accessed from anywhere there is a WiFi connection. By using this device, future researchers and students will be able to collect high-frequency data over an extended period of time, which will make early warning HAB forecasts possible. Additionally, the data collected from these field studies will enable research which aims to improve our theoretical understanding of HABs formation.
Here are the photos/images taken during this project!
