ED53B-0858
Advancing the Potential of Citizen Science for Urban Water Quality Monitoring: Exploring Research Design and Methodology in New York City
Friday, 18 December 2015
Poster Hall (Moscone South)
Diana Hsueh1, David J Farnham2, Rebecca Gibson3, Wade Randall McGillis1, Patricia Jane Culligan2, Caren Cooper4, Lincoln Larson5, Brian Justin Mailloux6, Robert Buchanan7, Nancy Borus8, Nina Zain9, Diana Eddowes10, Lizzette Butkiewicz11 and Steven A. Loiselle12, (1)Columbia University, Palisades, NY, United States, (2)Columbia University of New York, New York, NY, United States, (3)Columbia University of New York, Palisades, NY, United States, (4)North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh, NC, United States, (5)Clemson University, The Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management, Clemson, SC, United States, (6)Barnard College, Department of Environmental Science, New York, NY, United States, (7)Eugene Lang College, The New School, Public Engagement, New York, NY, United States, (8)New York City Water Trail Association, New York, NY, United States, (9)The River Project, New York, NY, United States, (10)Earthwatch Institute, Boston, MA, United States, (11)HSBC, New York, NY, United States, (12)Università degli Studi di Siena, Siena, Italy
Abstract:
Citizen Science is a fast-growing ecological research tool with proven potential to rapidly produce large datasets. While the fields of astronomy and ornithology demonstrate particularly successful histories of enlisting the public in conducting scientific work, citizen science applications to the field of hydrology have been relatively underutilized. We demonstrate the potential of citizen science for monitoring water quality, particularly in the impervious, urban environment of New York City (NYC) where pollution via stormwater runoff is a leading source of waterway contamination. Through partnerships with HSBC, Earthwatch, and the NYC Water Trail Association, we have trained two citizen science communities to monitor the quality of NYC waterways, testing for a suite of water quality parameters including pH, turbidity, phosphate, nitrate, and Enterococci (an indicator bacteria for the presence of harmful pathogens associated with fecal pollution). We continue to enhance these citizen science programs with two additions to our methodology. First, we designed and produced at-home incubation ovens for Enterococci analysis, and second, we are developing automated photo-imaging for nitrate and phosphate concentrations. These improvements make our work more publicly accessible while maintaining scientific accuracy. We also initiated a volunteer survey assessing the motivations for participation among our citizen scientists. These three endeavors will inform future applications of citizen science for urban hydrological research. Ultimately, the spatiotemporally-rich dataset of waterway quality produced from our citizen science efforts will help advise NYC policy makers about the impacts of green infrastructure and other types of government-led efforts to clean up NYC waterways.
