Development of a real-time water quality monitoring system using coastal passenger ships and PCS telemetry

Abstract

To meet increasing needs for environmentally sustainable management of coastal area, there has been compelling pressure to establish a cost-effective and long-term coastal water quality (CWQ) monitoring system. A remote CWQ monitoring system, STAMP, has been developed and is in operation along the route between Kyema harbor and Anma Island in the southwestern coastal area of Korea. STAMP uses a PCS phone as a telemetry unit to transmit acquired data for monitoring general water quality parameters, and a routinely operating coastal passenger ship or car ferry. STAMP has various merits of low-cost operations; long-term monitoring with secure instrumentation; and stable real-time telemetry of acquired data without the loss and noise. It is expected that the system will serve as a very useful tool in the CWQ managing programs of Korea taking the advantage of many coastal passenger ships in various routes including the ships departing from the coastal industrial cities. The acquired data compiled on suspended surface sediment concentrations (SSSC) will be also valuably helpful in understanding the sediment budget across the routes of the vessel.