Next-Gen Sensors: Catching water Pollution in real time - SINTEFNext-Gen Sensors: Catching water Pollution in real timeKarolina Barbara Milenko-...

Next-Gen Sensors: Catching water Pollution in real time - SINTEF
Next-Gen Sensors: Catching water Pollution in real time
Karolina Barbara Milenko-Kuszewska, a project manager and research scientist at SINTEF, examines the optical sensor that will measure water quality. Photo: Werner Juvik
Karolina Barbara Milenko-Kuszewska, a project manager and research scientist at SINTEF, examines the optical sensor that will measure water quality. Photo: Werner Juvik
1. September 2026
Mari MortvedtNorwegianscitechnews.com
Currently, water samples must be transported to a laboratory to reveal pollution. But new sensor technology is enabling researchers to measure pesticides in the water on site – and get the results right away.
Extreme weather events, such as floods, droughts and torrential rains, affect the water quality in lakes, rivers and coastal areas. This creates significant challenges for ecosystems and water supplies, because pesticides that are bound in soil masses can quickly leach into water sources. Now researchers want to monitor this in a new way.

“Today’s monitoring systems aren’t equipped to detect rapid variations. This leaves critical gaps in environmental protection and public health preparedness. The goal of the project, called STARDUST, is to develop an optical sensor system that can detect multiple pesticides in real time in both surface water and groundwater,” says Elizaveta Vereshchagina, a senior research scientist in SINTEF’s Department of Smart Sensors and Microtechnology, Norway.

The technology will provide insight into how extreme weather affects the occurrence of pesticides in water. It is being developed with interdisciplinary collaborators from Norway, Romania, Poland, Ireland and Denmark.