1) The document discusses water quality and quantity monitoring in the UK. It outlines several national monitoring programs including the National River Flow Archive and National Groundwater Level Archive. 2) It also discusses water quality monitoring under the European Water Framework Directive, which aims to achieve good ecological status in surface waters. Monitoring includes biological, hydrological, and physicochemical indicators. 3) The document presents several innovations in water quality monitoring, including using remote sensing to monitor phytoplankton and harmful algal blooms, citizen science programs, sensor networks, and environmental DNA analysis. These innovations can provide more spatially and temporally extensive data to better assess water quality.

1. Monitoring Water Quality and Quantity, UK
Enhancing Freshwater Monitoring Through Earth Observation
IUKWC Workshop, 19th June 2017
Prof. Laurence Carvalho
Freshwater Ecology Group
Centre for Ecology & Hydrology
Edinburgh, UK
Photo–DARDNI

2. The UK
Terrain Population
density Rainfall
Terrain

3. Water Quantity: UK Monitoring

4. National River Flow Archive (NRFA) &
National Groundwater Level Archive (NGLA)
Monitoring and
Network Design
Data Sensing and
Recording
Data Validation and
Archival
Data Synthesis and
Analysis
Information
Dissemination
Information Usage
and Decision
Making
National
Hydrometric
Information
Service

5. NRFA: Monitoring and Network Design
Development of national sub-networks:
• National Benchmark Network:
• 130+ ‘Near natural’ catchments
• Heavily used for detection of climate-driven
hydrological change
Terrain

6. Data Validation and Archive
Public Data Portals

7. Data Synthesis and Analysis
National Hydrological
Monitoring Programme
• Monthly situation reporting
• Hydrological reviews of
major events
• Audience: operational,
policy, research, public
interest, media

8. Water Quality Monitoring
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High frequency
Research purposes e.g. impacts of
climate change on water quality
CEH long-term monitoring sites
Large-scale
Regulatory purposes – to protect water
quality and freshwater biodiversity
• EU: Water Framework Directive (WFD)
• EU: Habitats Directive
EO potential for both long-term,
high-frequency and large scale
(in-lake, nationally and global)
See poster by Stephen Maberly

9. The European Water Framework Directive (WFD)
Aim
• To promote sustainable water use and to protect
and enhance aquatic environments
• To achieve “good ecological status” in all surface
waters by 2027
- lakes, rivers, estuaries and coastal waters
Innovation in Water Policy,
River Basin Management and
Water Quality Assessment
Shift from chemical quality to ecological status assessment
EO data needs to demonstrate that it is useful
and comparable to existing agreed methods

10. WFD Monitoring: Ecological Status
Biological
• Phytoplankton (chlorophyll-a)
• Aquatic plants
• Invertebrates
• Fish
Hydro-morphological
• Flow, residence time, water level
• Structure of substrate and condition of bank/shore
Physico-chemical
• Transparency, temperature
• Oxygen, nutrients, salinity, pH, ANC
• Specific pollutants (Arsenic, Chromium, etc.)
Bio-assessment
integrates many
pressures over time
Chemical status
• EU Priority Substances (Pb, Cd, PAHs, Tribuyltine, etc.)

11. WFD Status Assessment

12. The State of Scotland’s Waters
http://www.environment.scotland.gov.uk/get-interactive/data/water-body-classification/
Status Rivers Lochs
Estuaries &
Coastal
High 154 59 134
Good 1167 165 341
Mod 616 69 28
Poor 378 34 2
Bad 91 7 0
Total 2406 334 505
% fail 45% 33% 6%
Not all sites
sampled due
to costs

13. Innovation in
Monitoring
Water Quality

14. Innovation in Monitoring
1. Remote Sensing
(Earth Observation)
2. Citizen Science
3. Sensors
4. Molecular approaches

15. Phytoplankton abundance
(chlorophyll-a) & Harmful
Algal Blooms (Phycocyanin)
Hunter et al. 2010 Remote Sensing
of Environment 114, 2705-2718
EO of Phytoplankton (HABs)

16. Citizen monitoring: log books & risk maps
Ramani Huria
Community mapping for flood resilience and development
http://ramanihuria.org/

17. Bloomin’ Algae
https://eip.ceh.ac.uk/apps/lakes/
Citizen monitoring: apps & data portals
Data Portals
Text alert services
• Public engagement
• Cost-effective monitoring
• Improved health protection
• Enhanced data for research
www.brc.ac.uk/app/bloomin-algae-app

18. Sensors: high-frequency monitoring
Hourly water quality monitoring
of River Thames
• Phosphate
• Nitrate
• Ammonium
• Dissolved oxygen
• Chlorophyll
• pH
• Water temperature
• Turbidity
Mike Bowes
mibo@ceh.ac.uk

19. Lake buoys & Sensors
Meteorological
data
Temperature
profiles
Underwater
chemistry &
biology
• 4 minute resolution
• Near real-time telemetry
to CEH database
Photo: E. Gray
Dr Ian Jones
ianj@ceh.ac.uk
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pH
Manual 14-day
Automatic hourly
UKLEON

20. environmental DNA (eDNA)
• eDNA extracted from water samples
and sequenced
• Analyse for bacteria, anti-microbial
resistance, inverteberates, fish, etc.
Vendace (rare UK fish)

21. • Percentage of wastewater safely treated
• Percentage of water bodies with good water quality
SDG 6.3 - Target and Indicators

22. WQ Indicators for SDG 6.3
• Purpose
• Robustness
• Practicality
• Cost
EO has great potential to provide
high spatial and temporal
coverage with consistency in
measurement for both quantity
and quality assessment

23. Photo–NickEverard,EnvironmentAgency
Prof. Laurence Carvalho
Centre for Ecology & Hydrology
United Kingdom
laca@ceh.ac.uk
@LacLaurence