Environmental Quality Monitoring Research Articles

Analysis of the evolution and influencing factors of ecological environment quality after the transformation of resource-exhausted cities based on GEE and RSEI: a case study of Xuzhou City, China

ABSTRACT This study used Google Earth Engine (GEE) to get and process Landsat images of Xuzhou from 2008 to 2020, and built remote sensing ecological indices (RSEI). This study analyzed the spatiotemporal features and drivers of ecological environment quality after Xuzhou’s transformation using landscape pattern index, spatial autocorrelation, and geographic detector methods. The results showed that: (1) The ecological environment quality of Xuzhou improved steadily but unevenly from 2008 to 2020; the west and central urban areas had poor but improving quality, while the east had the opposite trend; (2) The landscape pattern indices of ecological environment quality in different regions of Xuzhou did not change consistently from 2008 to 2020; (3) The spatial distribution of ecological environment quality had significant autocorrelation, with high-high clusters in the east and low-low clusters in the center and the urban areas of each district and county; (4) NDVI is the component index that has the greatest impact on the changes in the RSEI. Among the single factors, land use conditions have the strongest influence on ecological environmental quality. After the interaction of dual factors, the explanatory power is stronger than that of any single factor. The research results can support urban planning and design, ecological environment protection, etc. in Xuzhou, and offer insights for monitoring and evaluation of ecological environment quality after the transformation of resource-exhausted cities.

Analysis of landscape pattern and ecological risk change characteristics in Bosten Lake basin based on optimal scale

Amidst swift socioeconomic progress, urbanization is intensifying, necessitating robust methodologies for environmental quality monitoring. Landscape Ecological Risk (LER) has emerged as a pivotal tool in this context. Extensive research has focused on the land utilization rates within watersheds, scrutinizing them through the lens of land use/land cover (LULC) dynamics. This study delves into the LULC attributes of the Bosten Lake Basin (BLB) across three temporal snapshots: 2000, 2010, and 2020. Grasslands and bare ground made up the vast majority area of the BLB. Selected twelve landscape pattern indices, analyzed their response curves with respect to grain size, determined the optimal grain size to be 150 m, and analysed its optimum amplitude of 10 km × 10 km on the basis of the semi-variance function, thus determined the optimal scale for analyzing the landscape pattern. Exploring scale effect facilitates a nuanced examination of the landscape patterns and land use efficacy within BLB. From 2000 to 2020, the landscape pattern showed less fragmented, less aggregated, and more spatially heterogeneous. The landscape ecological risk index model has been constructed for the investigation of the LER change characteristics of the BLB. Lowest-risk zones and lower-risk zones of LER predominate in BLB. In 2000, 2010 and 2020 the combined lower and lowest risk zones represent 62.02 %, 59.37 % and 58.44 % of the catchment area respectively. Finally, analyzed the spatial autocorrelation variation characteristics of LER. The global Moran' I index of BLB for the three periods from 2000 to 2020 exceeded 0.7. This study establishes theoretical and practical foundation for future multi-scale landscape ecological risk studies in eco-fragile regions.

Data Acquisition, Processing, and Aggregation in a Low-Cost IoT System for Indoor Environmental Quality Monitoring

The rapid spread of Internet of Things technologies has enabled a continuous monitoring of indoor environmental quality in office environments by integrating monitoring devices equipped with low-cost sensors and cloud platforms for data storage and visualization. Critical aspects in the development of such monitoring systems are effective data acquisition, processing, and visualization strategies, which significantly influence the performance of the system both at monitoring device and at cloud platform level. This paper proposes novel strategies to address the challenges in the design of a complete monitoring system for indoor environmental quality. By adopting the proposed solution, one can reduce the data rate transfer between the monitoring devices and the server without loss of information, as well as achieve efficient data storage and aggregation on the server side to minimize retrieval times. Finally, enhanced flexibility in the dashboard for data visualization is obtained, thus enabling graph modifications without extensive coding efforts. The functionality of the developed system was assessed, with the collected data in good agreement with those from other instruments used as references.

Comparison of heavy metal residue in selected processed canned tomato paste and bottled tomato sauce using atomic absorption spectrometry

Heavy metals are used to manufacture various types of packaging materials such as cans and glass bottle containers. Determination of heavy metal concentration presence in processed food products is crucial to identify specific possibly hazard metal contaminants and create public awareness upon consumption. A total of ten samples consisting of five different brands of canned tomato paste and bottled tomato sauce sold in Malaysia were analysed for the concentration of lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), chromium (Cr) and nickel (Ni) metals residues by Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAS). The average heavy metals concentration of all samples was arranged in increasing order, Cd > Ni > Cr > Pb > Zn > Fe. The highest level of metal was Fe (69.93 mg/kg) while the lowest was Cd (0.01 mg/kg). The concentration of Pb, Cr and Ni in all samples exceed the permissible limit set by the World Health Organisation 2011, the European Commission 2006 and the Malaysia Food Act and Regulation 1985 except Zn. There is a significant difference between heavy metal concentrations in canned tomato paste and bottled tomato sauce (p˂0.05). Therefore, this study suggests efficient monitoring and inspection of both agricultural environment quality and industrial processing procedures.

Hepatic transcriptome, transcriptional effects and antioxidant responses in Poecilia vivipara exposed to sanitary sewage

Aquatic environments are subject to threats from multiple human activities, particularly through the release of untreated sanitary sewage into the coastal environments. These effluents contain a large group of natural or synthetic compounds referred to as emerging contaminants. Monitoring the types and quantities of toxic substances in the environment, especially complex mixtures, is an exhausting and challenging task. Integrative effect-based tools, such as biomarkers, are recommended for environmental quality monitoring programs. In this study, fish Poecilia vivipara were exposed for 24 and 96 h to raw untreated sewage diluted 33 % (v/v) in order to identify hepatic genes to be used as molecular biomarkers. Through a de novo hepatic transcriptome assembly, using Illumina MiSeq, 54,285 sequences were assembled creating a reference transcriptome for this guppy species. Transcripts involved in biotransformation systems, antioxidant defenses, ABC transporters, nuclear and xenobiotic receptors were identified and evaluated by qPCR. Sanitary sewage induced transcriptional changes in AhR, PXR, CYP2K1, CYP3A30, NQO1, UGT1A1, GSTa3, GSTmu, ST1C1, SOD, ABCC1 and SOX9 genes from liver of fish, particularly after 96 h of exposure. Changes in hepatic enzyme activities were also observed. The enzymes showed differences in fish exposed to both periods, while in the gills there was a prevalence of significant results after 96 h. The observed differences were associated to gender and/or to sewage exposure. The obtained results support the use of P. vivipara as sentinel and model organism for ecotoxicological studies and evidence the importance of understanding the differential responses associated to gender.

A Ratiometric Fluorescent Detection Platform Using G‐CDs@[Ru(bpy)3]2+ for the Specific Detection of Hypochlorite and Live Cell Imaging

AbstractHypochlorite (ClO−), an essential reactive oxygen species (ROS) in physiological processes, is identified to be closely connected with oxidative stress and related diseases. Meanwhile, ClO− is a commonly‐used disinfector for water treatment, and in public places, under acidic conditions, it's easily decomposed into hypertoxic chlorine gas. Since the strong oxidizing property of ClO−, many oxidizing agents may disturb the ClO− detection. Specific and accurate detection of ClO− with superior sensitivity is a challenge. In this work, a sensing platform for rapid, sensitive, and specific ClO− detection is constructed using green fluorescent carbon dots (G‐CDs), with a linear detection range of 0.5–11 µm and a detection limit of 0.233 µm. Moreover, introducing a red fluorescent tripyridinium ruthenium ([Ru(bpy)3]2+) as a reference, a ratiometric fluorescence nanoprobe G‐CDs@[Ru(bpy)3]2+ is prepared and shows favorable intracellular imaging of exogenous and endogenous ClO−. With G‐CDs@[Ru(bpy)3]2+‐based test paper microarrays and a color recognition APP, a smartphone‐based sensing system for point‐of‐care testing of ClO− is also fabricated. In summary, this work proposed a versatile and economical smartphone‐based sensing system that featured reliability and simplicity, and suggested its potential applications in environmental water quality monitoring and live cell imaging.

Sensorsync auto: Integrating IoT sensors for smart vehicle air quality monitoring

This project introduces an innovative Air Quality Monitoring System based on IoT technology, leveraging components such as NodeMCU, DHT11, MQ135, a buzzer, an LCD, and the Blynk 2.0 app. The primary objective is to provide real-time monitoring of environmental conditions, encompassing temperature, humidity, and air quality, while also offering audible alerts for immediate user notification. The NodeMCU functions as the central microcontroller, interfacing with the DHT11 sensor for temperature and humidity readings and the MQ135 sensor for air quality measurements. The collected data is visually displayed on a 16x2 LCD screen. Additionally, the system enables remote monitoring and control through the Blynk 2.0 app. The app displays comprehensive information using gauge widgets for temperature, humidity, and air quality, along with detailed statistics through a display widget. To enhance user awareness, an integrated buzzer delivers audible alerts when air quality exceeds predefined thresholds. The Arduino sketch incorporates essential libraries for sensor interfacing, data processing, and seamless integration with the Blynk app. The app is configured with widgets corresponding to virtual pins in the sketch, ensuring smooth communication between the hardware and the app. This IoT-based Air Quality Monitoring System serves as a valuable tool for individuals and communities concerned about indoor or outdoor air quality. The system's features, including real-time data visualization, remote monitoring capabilities, and an alert system, contribute to creating a more informed and healthier living environment.

Environmental Quality bOX (EQ-OX): A Portable Device Embedding Low-Cost Sensors Tailored for Comprehensive Indoor Environmental Quality Monitoring.

The continuous monitoring of indoor environmental quality (IEQ) plays a crucial role in improving our understanding of the prominent parameters affecting building users' health and perception of their environment. In field studies, indoor environment monitoring often does not go beyond the assessment of air temperature, relative humidity, and CO2 concentration, lacking consideration of other important parameters due to budget constraints and the complexity of multi-dimensional signal analyses. In this paper, we introduce the Environmental Quality bOX (EQ-OX) system, which was designed for the simultaneous monitoring of quantities of some of the main IEQs with a low level of uncertainty and an affordable cost. Up to 15 parameters can be acquired at a time. The system embeds only low-cost sensors (LCSs) within a compact case, enabling vast-scale monitoring campaigns in residential and office buildings. The results of our laboratory and field tests show that most of the selected LCSs can match the accuracy required for indoor campaigns. A lightweight data processing algorithm has been used for the benchmark. Our intent is to estimate the correlation achievable between the detected quantities and reference measurements when a linear correction is applied. Such an approach allows for a preliminary assessment of which LCSs are the most suitable for a cost-effective IEQ monitoring system.

Evaluation of the environmental quality monitoring protocol for Amazonian streams: a systematic review

The Amazon Rainforest is renowned for its extraordinary biodiversity and the ravages of pervasive deforestation. The removal of natural vegetation significantly affects Amazonian streams, leading to alterations in their environmental conditions. In the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency has devised a comprehensive protocol to monitor changes in the environmental quality of streams. Since 2011, the Sustainable Amazon Network has implemented this protocol in Amazonian streams. Our systematic review aimed to address the following questions: i) How widely has the protocol been employed in Amazonian streams?; ii) Is the utilization of this protocol well-distributed across the Amazon Basin?; iii) Which types of land use have been assessed using this protocol?; iv) Which components of the aquatic biota have been studied in conjunction with the protocol?; and, v) Which metrics of the protocol are most crucial for elucidating aquatic biota distribution? We conducted searches using the Web of Science and Google Scholar databases, identifying 34 studies that directly aligned with our objectives. It was observed that the Eastern Amazon had the highest number of streams evaluated. Additionally, aquatic insects emerged as an effective tool when utilized alongside the protocol for evaluating the impacts of changes in land use. Ultimately, the most important metrics for assessing impacts on aquatic biota were shelter availability in the channels, the preservation status of riparian forests, and water quality. We recommend developing a simplified version of this protocol to facilitate its application for research teams with limited personnel and financial resources available for fieldwork. Keywords: aquatic conservation, biomonitoring, land use change, sampling efficiency, stream ecology.

Polydopamine-modified MXene/cellulose nanofibers composite film for self-powered humidity sensing and humidity actuating

Humidity sensors are of great significance in the domains of wearable electronic products, environmental and food quality monitoring, and human healthcare. In general, they necessitate an external power source in the form of a battery. Despite considerable efforts, developing self-powered sensing systems without reliance on an external power supply remains a major challenge. Herein, an electrochemical humidity sensor with primary battery structure based on redox reaction was designed, in which polydopamine (PDA)-modified MXene/TEMPO-oxidized cellulose nanofibers/LiCl (PDMM/TOCNFs/LiCl) composite film serves as electrolyte layer. The introduction of TOCNFs confers outstanding structural stability and superior tensile strength upon the composite film. Importantly, the hygroscopic and ionic conductivity properties of the PDMM/TOCNFs/LiCl electrolyte allow the sensor to generate spontaneous voltage over a wide relative humidity (RH) range of 11 – 91%. In addition, the developed sensor exhibits excellent humidity-sensing performances, including high voltage response, fast response/recovery time, and superior humidity-sensing stability. Moreover, mussel-inspired PDA improves the ambient stability of MXene by engineering interfacial interactions, which imparts the hygroscopic PDMM/TOCNFs/LiCl composite film with desirable stability for practical applications. Finally, the potential applications of the sensor and the composite film in human respiration, non-contact sensing, and humidity actuating are demonstrated. This work paves the way for the development of an innovative self-powered humidity sensing system.

A smartphone-controlled portable multiplexed photoelectrochemical sensor based on dual UV intelligent response system-assisted signal resolution strategy

Portable multiplexed photoelectrochemical (PEC) sensor is essential for on-site detection of multiple targets in complex environment. However, the evolution of portable multiplexed PEC sensor is still constrained by specialized instruments and complex multi-interface modification steps, etc. In this work, we design a UV-assisted multiple signals resolution strategy and construct a smartphone-controlled portable multiplexed PEC sensor. Specifically, following the dual-target biorecognition, UV light triggers the cleavage of photo-responsive DNA so that the dual DNA signal labels can be separated. When the signal label (first target) attaches to the azobenzene-covalently bound DNA (Abz-DNA) and triggers HCR on the electrode surface, UV light illumination induces the structure change of azobenzene, resulting in the detachment of Abz-DNA/HCR complex from the electrode surface. After reincorporation of fresh Abz-DNA, the reconstituted photoelectrode can be reused for the second target analysis. The feasibility of the sensor is validated through the simultaneous detection of two co-existing mycotoxins in corn. Notably, the UV-meditated signal discrimination strategy and smartphone-displayed multi-photocurrent readout enable the portability of the PEC sensor, making it possible for in-situ monitoring of environmental safety and food quality.

Utilization of Bioindicators in Environmental Biomonitoring: A Comprehensive Review

Environmental biomonitoring is the latest branch of science in modern environmental science. The concept allows the monitoring of environmental quality by involving the use of organisms as a measure of contamination levels. This comprehensive review showcases the latest advances in the field of environmental science with emphasis on innovative methodologies, technological breakthroughs and implications for environmental understanding and management. The review discusses the types of bioindicators that have been used and their respective benefits. Rapid monitoring of environmental quality through biomonitoring helps equip policy makers and stakeholders with critical data and facilitates evidence-based decision making. Further research in this field is needed as it can be a feasible alternative to rapid, low-cost and practical environmental monitoring.

Biosensor systems: determination of optimal time parameters of olfactory stimulation

Biosensor systems are improving swiftly and become increasingly important in areas such as defense and security, medical field, especially, cancer screening and detection, environmental quality monitoring, and so forth. The present work describes the development of a biosensor system, based on the use of macrosmatic animal olfactory bulb (OB) visualized by optical imaging of odor-evoked glomerular activity patterns. The difficulties that automatic detection of odor-evoked patterns presents under multiple stimulation are associated with adaptation processes, which are manifested as a reversible change in the sensitivity of the neural structures of the olfactory system. The optimal stimulus duration and interstimulus intervals for stabilizing the glomerular response and getting images of glomerular activity patterns under the multiple odor stimulation with constant accuracy have been experimentally found. The results obtained show the availability of other resource in addition to the existing tools used for the development of biosensor systems.

Active–Passive Remote Sensing Evaluation of Ecological Environment Quality in Juye Mining Area, China

The coal industry is a crucial component of China’s energy sector. However, the persistent exploitation of coal resources has gravely impacted the ecological environment. While the Remote Sensing Ecology Index (RSEI) is predominantly used for assessing ecological quality, its primary focus has been urban or aquatic environments. There is limited research focused on the evaluation of the ecological environment quality in mining areas. Moreover, the information regarding surface deformation caused by coal mining extraction is an essential factor in the ecological monitoring of mining areas. Therefore, this study proposed the Modified Remote Sensing Ecology Index (MRSEI). This enhanced model merges active and passive remote sensing techniques and incorporates a deformation factor (Surface Deformation Index, SDI) to provide a holistic evaluation of mining area ecologies. Furthermore, for comparative verification, we developed the Eco-environmental Quality Index (EQI) model by selecting 12 ecological parameters and employing a hierarchical analysis. The Juye mining area in Shandong Province was selected as the region of study. MRSEI results from 2015 to 2021 indicate a decline in the ecological quality of the Juye mining area, with MRSEI values registering at 0.691, 0.644, and 0.617. The EQI model mirrors this decreasing trend over the same period. Despite MRSEI using fewer indicators, its assessments align closely with the multi-indicator EQI method. This validates the accuracy of the MRSEI method, providing reliable technical support for the monitoring and evaluation of ecological environment quality in mining areas.

Intelligent, low-cost, high-performance system for environmental air quality monitoring through integrated gas, temperature, and humidity analysis

Intelligent, low-cost, high-performance system for environmental air quality monitoring through integrated gas, temperature, and humidity analysis

A mini review of the Chinese literature on noise maps

According to the recently published 'Noise pollution prevention and control action plan' by the Chinese government, all the prefecture-level cities should achieve acoustic environmental quality monitoring for the functional areas. The noise map is essential for noise monitoring, evaluation and regulation. This paper reviews the Chinese literature on noise maps in the past three decades, particularly concerning noise indexes. Most studies adopted A-weighted equivalent sound pressure level (LAeq), whereas a few investigated noise pollution index (NPI), noise impact index (NII), and index of noise evaluation model (ANEM) by considering the influence of different functional areas, the distribution of people, and both, respectively. However, studies are mostly based on sound energy parameters and rarely have considered the differences in subjective discomfort for the dynamic evolvement of changing populations among different areas and periods. The appropriate noise evaluation index for noise maps, which can reasonably reflect the influence of noise on people in various functional areas, merits further research. Recommendations for future work in this area are presented.

Evaluation and Prediction of Ecological Restoration Effect of Beijing Wangping Coal Mine Based on Modified Remote Sensing Ecological Index

As the construction of ecological civilization has become more and more important in recent years, ecological restoration and its effect assessment have also received increasing attention. Taking the Wangping coal mine in Beijing as an example, based on Landsat TM/OLI series remote sensing data, we chose five metrics, i.e., fraction vegetation coverage, humidity, heat, dryness, and black particulates, to construct the model for the modified remote sensing ecological index (MRSEI). It was also combined with the Hurst index to conduct dynamic monitoring, spatiotemporal analysis, and prediction studies of the ecological environment quality in the study area. The results showed that: (1) Compared with the RSEI, the first principal component of the MRSEI better integrates the information of each component indicator, has a better average correlation with each indicator, and better reflects the habitat condition in the study area. (2) The mean value of the MRSEI in the study area increased from 0.433 in 1990 to 0.722 in 2021, an increase of 40.03%. (3) From 1990 to 2001, the poor and fair MRSEI-grade areas in the study area were concentrated in the northeastern and southwestern parts of the area. After the ecological restoration project was carried out, the environmental quality of the Wangping coal mine improved year by year, and a small number of poor areas were concentrated in the northeastern border area. (4) The MRSEI of the Wangping coal mine predicted that the future ecological environment of the study area would show a general trend of continuous improvement, but a certain percentage of the area in the northeast had a weak antisustainability trend. The results of the study could provide a reference for ecological restoration planning, sustainable development, and the management of mining areas.

Beyond technology: reducing environmental information asymmetry by centralizing environmental monitoring

Due to an information gap between the central government and local governments, the principal-agent problem arises when power is devolved to the bureaucracy and local governments. We look at how China’s decision to consolidate its network of air quality monitoring stations has affected the ability of local governments to influence air quality readings. After the switch to centralized monitoring, an increase in PM2.5 and PM10 levels was detected. No increase in aerosol optical depth (AOD) from satellites or emission from nearby polluting firms corroborates the hypothesis that this reported rise in PM2.5 and PM10 is not due to an increase in air pollution. These findings highlight the potential for data manipulation by local governments and the benefits of data centralization in reducing information asymmetry. According to our research results, we suggest that the government should establish a unified, centralized environmental quality monitoring system to reduce information asymmetry and data falsification.

Evaluation and dynamic monitoring of ecological environment quality in mining area based on improved CRSEI index model

Large-scale open-pit mining in mining areas will cause serious damage to the ecological environment. Building a “green mine” is an essential part of implementing sustainable development. In order to explore the changing characteristics of the environmental quality of the open-pit mining area and provide a scientific basis for improving the ecological environment of the mining area. Taking Sijiying open-pit mining area as the research area, based on four Landsat images from 2000 to 2022, the four index components of greenness, humidity, dryness and heat were integrated, and an improved remote sensing ecological index CRSEI was constructed by principal component analysis to dynamically evaluate and monitor the ecological environment quality of the mining area. The results show that the average correlation between CRSEI and the index components is higher than the average correlation between the components, indicating that it has a favorable expression effect on the ecological quality of the mining area. The ecological environmental quality of the study area experienced a shift to the poor grade, and the poor ecological quality area was mainly distributed in industrial and mining land and construction land, with the mean CRSEI of 0.668, 0.474, 0.460 and 0.494, respectively. The results of dynamic monitoring showed that the proportion of ecological improvement area (41.43 %) was greater than that of ecological deterioration area (33.29 %) in the study area in the past 22 years, and additional restoration efforts should be made to achieve sustainable development of the ecological environment.

Hematological Evaluation of Three Common Teleosts in Relation to The Environmental Changes from Trang Province, Thailand.

Hematological evaluation of fish is essential to the assessment of their physiological status. This study describes the morphometric analysis and comparison of blood cell characteristics in Zanarchopterus sp., Gerres filamentosus Cuvier, 1829 and Leiognathus decorus (De Vis, 1884). The species were collected at two locations off the coast of Trang Province, Thailand. A comparative hematological evaluation was made to assess the effects of environmental conditions on the blood of the fish. Ten individuals of each species were collected from a seagrass bed at Libong Island, where human activities are increasing, and from a secluded sandy beach. Their blood samples were analysed using the blood smear technique. Erythrocytes of all the studied fishes were either elliptical or oval. The morphometric data from both locations showed that erythrocytes were of similar size, except for those of Zanarchopterus sp. Fish from both stations showed several types of leukocytes, including neutrophils and lymphocytes.The highest proportion of leukocytes was made up of lymphocytes, followed by neutrophils. However, monocytes were only observed in fish from Libong Island and the erythrocytic nuclei of fish collected from Libong Island were both reniform and lobate. Our results show the potential of hematological evaluation as an early warning signal of environmental impacts on aquatic animals. The determination of baseline parameters could provide a tool for the monitoring of environmental quality.