ResilienTogether is creating a Smart Catchment using innovations in technology and practices to reduce flood risk, enhance the water environment and improve community resilience in the Pix Brook catchment in the face of climate change.
Read more about what we have learnt and what to look for in a probe or sonde: Water quality measurement: Probes & Sondes
The digest draws from the SuDS-specific water quality monitoring section of the Pix Brook Catchment: A review of available technologies report, prepared by the University of Exeter for ResilienTogether. This Learning Digest summarises the differences between the available sondes and probes technologies.
Self-cleaning wipers – The accumulation of biofilms, algae, or debris on the sonde’s sensors can significantly impact the accuracy and reliability of the collected data. Sondes with self-cleaning capabilities mitigate fouling issues and ensure the continuous accuracy of data over time. Additionally, the frequency and costs associated with manual maintenance and cleaning efforts are reduced, making the monitoring process more efficient and cost-effective.
SDI-12 – The communication protocol SDI-12 facilitates data exchange between an autosampler and sonde. By employing SDI-12, the autosampler gains the ability to instruct the sonde to capture measurements at specific intervals, thereby ensuring a comprehensive and synchronised approach to water quality assessment.
Minimum depth – Sensors need to be covered by water to take a reading, and some sensors can be damaged by drying out. As the minimum depth requirement for a probe/sonde correlates to its diameter it becomes crucial to strike a balance between the number of parameters measured and the resultant increase in sonde diameter as more sensors are incorporated.