Fregata Monitoring Manual V.1.0

April 2022

DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES AND LIMITATION OF LIABILITIES

FREGATE SPACE RESERVES ALL RIGHTS IN THE PROGRAM AS DELIVERED. THE PROGRAM OR ANY PORTION THERE OF MAY NOT BE REPRODUCED IN ANY FORM WHATSOEVER EXCEPT AS PROVIDED BY LICENSE, WITHOUT THE CONSENT OF FREGATE SPACE.

DESCRIPTION

VersIon 0.0 of Fregata Monitoring is an earth observation platform, in order to monitor pollutants in bodies of water and air masses on the planet.

Benefits and Values

Automated pollutants monitoring

SaaS access with user and password
Real-time water quality monitoring
24/7 online web-mobile access to all real time and historical information.

 

Business, strategic and environmental KPIs:
Air and water indicators
Chlorophyll, Cyanobacteria
Hydrocarbons, Dissolved organic carbon
Dissolved organic matter, plastics
Suspended solids, nitrogen dioxide
Sulfur dioxide concentrations

 

A. URL

To enter the platform, you must locate our website: https://www.fregataspace.click/

B. Create Account

After entering the platform’s website to create your account. you must do the following:

i. To select “Create Account”

ii. Enter your email address

iii. Enter your password

iv. Confirm your password

v. Enter your birthdate

vi. Enter your name

 

See: Figure 1

Figure 1. Create Account screen

C. Sign In

Before sing in be sure that you did steps A and B.

a. To enter Sign In

To enter Sing In, we must:

i. To select “Sign In”

ii. Enter the registered email address

iii. Enter the password

 

 

See: Figure 2.

b. Reset your password

If the password if forgotten, the following procedure must be followed:

i. Click on “Forgot your password?”

ii. Reset your password by entering your registered email address

iii. Enter the verification code, send to your email is registered

iv. Enter and confirm your new password

 

See: Figure 3

Figure 2. Sing in

Figure 3. Reset your password screen

D. Control

After you have entered the platform “Fregata Monitoring” with your registered user, you will find on

the home page 3 variables:

1. The location, 

2. The date. 

3. The Indicator selector

 

See: Figure 4.

 

a. Location

In the location variable we will be able to find all the sites that are defined on the platform.

b. Date

In the date variable you can choose the day on which you want monitoring.

c. Indicator selector

Water quality index is defined as the biological, physical, and chemical characteristics required to maintain

the uses. 

Broad categories of designated uses may include drinking water, recreation, irrigation, and food supply. 

Water quality index can be measured in terms of biological, physical, and chemical indicators such as turbidity, chlorophyll-a, harmful algae, pollution-sediment, submerged habitat, temperature, metals, dissolved oxygen, nutrients (primarily phosphorus and nitrogen), and many other contaminants (IOCCG, 2018).

The water quality index identifies the good, fair or bad condition of the water. To describe the conditions of water quality, the criteria is that in a Gaussian distribution, a 95% confidence interval has an upper limit of 1.9 standard deviation, this value is rounded to 2 Stdev. 

The values of the water quality index are interpreted as it follows: 

Values higher than 2 are anomalous and indicate bad water quality.

Values in the interval (-2, 2) represent a transition from anomalous to normal values or regular water quality.

Values less than -2 show normal values or good water quality. 

Figure 4. Control variables screen

In this manual  you will find six predefined types of indicator variables

 

i. Chla (Chlorophyll)

What is chlorophyll?

It’s an indicator of total phytoplankton biomass and serves as a proxy for eutrophication status. In addition to chlorophyll-a, specific marker pigments (e.g., phycocyanin for cyanobacteria) or other unique spectral features, allow identification of potentially harmful algal blooms, as well as measures of their spatial extent,

severity and duration.

Why is chlorophyll a important?

Chlorophyll a is a measure of the amount of algae growing in a waterbody. It can be used to classify the trophic condition of a waterbody. Although algae are a natural part of freshwater ecosystems, too much algae can cause aesthetic problems such as green scums and bad odors, and can result in decreased levels of dissolved oxygen. Some algae also produce toxins that can be of public health concern when they are found in high concentrations.

What can chlorophyll

Tell us about the condition of the water?

One of the symptoms of degraded water quality condition is the increase of algae biomass as measured by the concentration of chlorophyll a. Waters with high levels of nutrients from fertilizers, septic systems, sewage treatment plants and urban runoff may have high concentrations of chlorophyll-a and excess amounts of algae. 

(EPA, 2021)

 

 

ii- Cya (Cyanobacterias)

What are cyanobacteria?

The cyanobacteria are a species of algae that can produce potent toxins, which may cause adverse health effects on wildlife and ecosystems or potentially affect human health (Oyama et al., 2016).

Cyanobacteria have a remarkable capacity to somehow adapt to global changes. 

They can survive high ultraviolet light, desiccation, hypersalinity, and extreme temperatures even for many years. 

These organisms grow in freshwater lakes, streams, oceans, damp soil, moistened rocks, and more. Over billions of years of evolution, they have formed unique symbiotic associations with microorganisms, plants, seagrass, fungi, sponges, and cycads. They even live on sloths’ fur and polar bears. 

Single cyanobacteria are too small to see without a microscope, but they can grow into massive colonies, which can even be seen even from space. Cyanobacterial blooms can be extremely dangerous to human health, animals, and ecosystems”.

Cyanobacteria are actively exploiting human-made pollution of water systems. They thrive on nutrient pollution and eutrophication. Urban, agricultural, and industrial activities increase nutrient pollution, salinization, and eutrophication of waterways. 

This stimulates more frequent and persistent HABs. (LGSONIC, 2020)

iii. Turb (Water turbidity)

Represents the total concentration of suspended material or mineral particles in the water column and is useful for studying river plume dynamics, shoreline erosion and bottom resuspension events. Turbidity is caused by particles suspended or dissolved in water that scatter light making the water appear cloudy or murky. Particulate matter can include sediment – especially clay and silt, find organic and inorganic

matter, soluble colored organic compounds, algae, and other microscopic organisms.

Impact of Turbidity

High turbidity can significantly reduce the aesthetic quality of lakes and streams, having a harmful impact on recreation and tourism. It can increase the cost of water treatment for drinking and food processing. It can harm fish and other aquatic life by reducing food supplies, degrading spawning beds, and affecting gill 

function. (Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, 2008)

iv. Cdom (Carbon Dissolved Organic Matter)

Represents the optically-active fraction of dissolved organic matter (DOM),thus contributing to studies of DOM dynamics as well as biogeochemical cycles of coastal and inland waters. CDOM can be retrieved from its exponential absorption signature, and has contributed to many studies of coastal and inland water DOM dynamics and biogeochemical cycles (Mannino et al. 2014). Doc (Dissolved Organic 

Carbon)

What is Dissolved Organic Carbon?

Defined as the carbon in organic molecules that can pass through a 0.45 ?m filter (Thurman, 1985). It is a component of great importance in natural waters because it performs both biotic and abiotic functions and its production can be enhanced by high rates of plant productivity.

http://plasticv. Plastics (Plastic Pollutant)

e. Map View

The visualization map is on the Google Maps platform, you will have some of its functions enabled.

a. Map / Satellite

This function allows you to visualize the mainland either in the form of a map or in satellite view. In the map shape you have the option of relief and in the form of a satellite you have the option of label.

See: Figure 5

b. Move your location

By clicking on the map and holding it down you can drag your location.

NOTE: You must take into account when moving that the monitoring area is predefined according to the location variable (D. a.)

c. Zoom

With the buttons + / – you will find at the bottom right of the screen you can zoom in to increase or decrease the area. By clicking on the map and holding it down you can drag your location.

See:  Figure 6.

Figure 5. Map/Satellite View

Figure 6. Buttons + / – view

d. Full screen view

At the top right of the display map, you will find a button that will allow you to see full  screen.

See: Figure 7

 Figure 7. Button Full Screen view

F. Clock Graph

In the Clock Graph you will find the indicators of pollutants in metric units and in the colors corresponding to the map view.

Examples

a. Chla

 Figure 8. Chlorophyll indicator chart

b. Cya

 Figure 9. Cyanobacteria indicator chart

c. Turb

 Figure 10. Turbidity indicator chart

d. CDOM

 Figure 11. Disolve Organic Matter indicator chart

e. DOC

 Figure 12. Disolve Organic Carbon indicator chart

e. Plastic

 Figure 13. Plastic indicator chart

NOTE:   Clock Graph will always be maintained with the same numerical indicators regardless of whether the indicator variable is changed

G. Analytics

The platform has a data analysis for each selected indicator 

 Figure 8. Chlorophyll indicator chart