Figure 3. Data measurement and integration can be used to advance assessments and management of river carbon dynamics and water quality . (a) Sensor arrays along river catchments (locations 1-7) provide time-series of parameters (including carbon/metabolism). Real-time data from the suite of sensors can then be exchanged and processed together with other automated information sources such as weather forecasts, satellite data, and local measurements (white arrows). ML tools can be incorporated to (b) alert humanized control centers for proposed actions, or take actions automatically using alarm rationalization (distinguishing between alarms and alerts). The dimensionality of data collection at these nodes (c, d) can be augmented by deploying mobile/autonomous systems to capture information from river cross sections, as well as from the reaches between fixed sensor nodes. Hierarchically nested structures of sensor arrays and other information sources can thus be used to advance optimization in water resource management.
Table 1. Multiple parameters can be measured routinely with high-frequency sensors to advance understanding and management of river carbon cycling and emissions.