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Regional Volunteer Monitoring Data Advancing Applied Research
The NH Lakes Lay Monitoring Program (NH LLMP) incorporates a new participatory research program to address monitors’ concerns (see Participatory Research: Linking Citizens to Scientists as published in the Volunteer Monitor Newsletter , Vol. 15, No. 1, Winter 2003 for more information). In one study, volunteers studied boat impacts on water quality. They concluded that impacts of watercraft are highly dependent on lake characteristics.The MA Water Watch Partnership cooperated with the U.S. Geologic Survey (USGS) and state agencies on a satellite ground truthing project . Volunteers sampled lakes on days when the LandSat satellite was overhead. USGS bought the LandSat images and correlated the image signatures with the lake data for the purpose of assessing lake health from LandSat images in the future. Refer to the USGS report for more information.
The MA Water Resources Center has conducted the internationally recognized Acid Rain Monitoring Project which combines the efforts of hundreds of citizen volunteers and laboratories with University coordination to produce high quality data. This data is used to evaluate the impact of acid deposition on the surface waters of MA and the impact of the 1990 Clean Air Amendments on surface waters.
A project at UNH studying microcystins, which are linked to serious health problems in NH lakes, incorporates data from NH LLMP . These cyanobacteria toxins called microcystins are linked to serious health problems. This project is developing a response plan for water quality managers responsible for monitoring water safety in water bodies experiencing toxic cyanobacteria.
