Looking after port WatersAll ports and harbours face the challenge of maintaining water quality. Mitigating against problems means taking care o...
Published on by Nuno Silva, CSTO - Chief Scientist and Technology Officer at UnifAI Technology
All ports and harbours face the challenge of maintaining water quality. Mitigating against problems means taking care of the whole marine ecosystem and surrounding land.
As the tides rise and fall few know the pressures on the waters surrounding ports and harbours. The still calm sea hides a multitude of secrets that are battling each other to survive. There are so many factors that can affect water quality and each port and harbour has different issues dependent on its location and physical geography.
Ports and harbours are very highly concentrated industrial areas next to the water. Many activities such as boat repair, transportation, terminal operations, cargo handling and storage all have potential impacts on water quality if an incident were to occur. All of these activities are subject to local and national regulations and monitoring and compliance are essential. In parallel, the many vessels that use the ports and harbours also have the potential to release discharges whilst in transit or alongside. Other constraints include the surrounding land around the port whether it is an urban area, expanding around the port or agricultural farmland.
Water quality cannot be viewed in isolation as the interaction between environmental and physical factors closely overlap. Environmental impacts such as air quality, soil and sediment quality and flora and fauna are all interrelated.
Monitoring water quality
Due to the location of ports and harbours some port authorities have small rivers discharging into them, which allows additional contaminants to enter the port waters.
Potential pollutants can arise from neighbouring land along the path of the river for example from agricultural land, adjoining industrial and commercial properties, private dwellings and recreational parks especially if there are many wildfowl present. Working with local authorities can enable monitoring and detection to prevent this from occurring.
UnifAI Technology Real Time Monitoring System, is a real time low cost sensor leveraged by AI method, which identifies and provides easy, rapid alarms of microorganisms presence. The process involves taking real time data from sensors, applying the AI algorithms and measure the water quality associated to microbiology events.
The whole process is cost effective and the results can be achieved in real time. This can allow a port or harbour to monitor its own water quality in an effective and efficient way.
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