New technology helps monitor beach pollution

It's time to dip into the technology file and since we live on an island surrounded by the ocean, I thought we’d have a look at some ocean technology.

Although we all know that ocean pollution is a big problem, we haven't had a huge problem with it here on Guam. But that could be coming. And thanks to technology developed by researchers from Michigan State University and the U.S. Geological Survey, beachgoers may soon know in a timely manner if the water is clean enough for swimming.

Unfortunately, current pollution testing is slow and unreliable. A water sample must be taken to a lab for analysis and that can take from 24 to 48 hours. This means if you go to the beach today and swim, you won't find out until tomorrow that you shouldn't have gone. That's not very helpful.

These researchers developed buoys that are placed in the water near the beach. By combining statistical models with real-time data gathered by sensors embedded in the buoys, quick and dependable information on water quality can be obtained.

Here's how it works. The sensors in the buoys gather the information, everything from temperature to how clear the water is. Then, using a cellular modem on the buoy, the data are uploaded to a land-based server.

Then, using web-based technology, the information is distributed to the people who need to know, such as a park official who makes the decision whether or not to close the beach and web pages that provide the same information to the public.

The researchers have been working on this early warning system for more than a decade and it's already being used on several Lake Michigan beaches in Chicago.

Our beaches may not be polluted enough to warrant this technology but having the buoys in Tumon could reassure the tourists that our beaches are clean!

And now, let's go deep and learn about a new way to explore the deep ocean.

The deep ocean which is dark, cold, under high pressure and airless is inhospitable to humans, but it teems with organisms that thrive in its harsh environment. Studying these creatures requires specialized equipment mounted on remotely operated vehicles or ROVs. This equipment, designed primarily for the underwater oil and mining industries, is clunky, expensive and difficult to maneuver with the kind of control needed to interact with delicate sea life. Picking a delicate sea slug off the ocean floor with these tools is like trying to pluck a grape using pruning shears.

Now, researchers have developed an alternative sampling device that's soft, flexible and customizable. It allows scientists to gently grab different types of organisms from the sea without damaging them, and to use a 3D printer to make modifications to the device overnight without the need to return to a land-based laboratory.

The devices the team designed have anywhere from two to five ‘fingers’ made of polyurethane and other squishy materials that open and close via a low-pressure hydraulic pump system. The grippers are attached to a wooden ball that's held and manipulated using the ROV's existing, hard claw-like tools which are controlled by a human operator on the ship to which the ROV is tethered.

The soft grippers can grab sea slugs, corals, sponges and other marine life much more effectively and with less damage than traditional underwater sampling tools. The team 3D-printed ‘fingernail’ extensions for the gripper's fingers to help them get underneath samples that were sitting on hard surfaces. A flexible mesh was also added to each finger to help keep samples contained within the fingers' grip.

The team is continuing to develop the grippers, hoping to add sensors that can tell the ROV operator when the grippers touch an organism, detect how hard or soft it is, and take other measurements. Their ultimate goal is to be able to capture sea creatures in the deep ocean and obtain full physical and genetic data without taking them out of their native habitats.

New technology for the beach and the deep ocean: We’re making progress!

Poll results are published every Monday in The Guam Daily Post.

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