Last updated on Mar 20, 2024

How can soil and land contamination monitoring be improved for long-term effectiveness?

Soil and land contamination is a serious environmental issue that affects human health, ecosystems, and economic development. It can result from various sources, such as industrial activities, agricultural practices, waste disposal, mining, and accidents. Monitoring soil and land contamination is essential to assess the extent, severity, and risks of pollution, and to evaluate the effectiveness of remediation measures. However, current monitoring methods have some limitations and challenges that need to be addressed for long-term effectiveness. In this article, you will learn about some of the ways that soil and land contamination monitoring can be improved, based on the latest research and innovations in environmental engineering.

1 Spatial and temporal variability

One of the main challenges of soil and land contamination monitoring is dealing with the spatial and temporal variability of pollutants. Soil and land are heterogeneous media that can have different physical, chemical, and biological properties, affecting the distribution and mobility of contaminants. Moreover, soil and land contamination can change over time due to natural or human-induced factors, such as weather, climate, land use, and remediation actions. Therefore, monitoring soil and land contamination requires a comprehensive and adaptive approach that can capture the spatial and temporal variability of pollutants, and provide accurate and representative data for risk assessment and decision making.

One possible way to improve soil and land contamination monitoring is to use geostatistical methods and tools. Geostatistics is a branch of statistics that deals with spatial data analysis and modeling. It can help to design optimal sampling strategies, estimate the spatial distribution and uncertainty of pollutants, and identify spatial patterns and trends. Geostatistical methods can also be combined with remote sensing and geographic information systems (GIS) to integrate multiple sources of data and information, and to visualize and communicate the results of monitoring.

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Abdil Halimis Stani

Environmental Engineering & Management | Sustainable Development | Oil & Gas
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Based on my experience, groundwater monitoring is quite useful to detect mobility and distribution of contaminants. For example, to find out whether groundwater beneath the contaminated land polluted or not, we need to drill a reference well in the hydraulic gradient line on the upstream side of the contaminated site. It represents the uncontaminated groundwater. On the downstream side, 1 to 3 monitoring wells can be set up, and samples can be collected on a regular basis from the downstream monitoring wells to monitor the level of groundwater contamination due to contaminations at different depths. Groundwater contamination commonly results from percolation of pollutants which spread on or beneath the land surface.

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kelechi Paulinus ukor

A renowned Environmental Geologist and disaster management expert..EIA /EES report writing expert.. Environmental/Engineering geology data interpretation.. Freelance and looking for work.. PhD in progress
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It's first important to point out the pollution source otherwise all effort will be in vein to curb out all forms of pollutant to biophysical environment. Detailed studies, integrated analysis will be paramount in the paradigm of the pollution spread to the biophysical environment... Remediation can/could be employed if the source of pollution is shut down. This is very effective .. also the place of natural attention is paramount as this could also help. Lastly the use of certain weeds(unwanted plants) could be a leverage in remediation as they posses resistant to certain forms of pollutants.. research and funding is also paramount

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2 Emerging contaminants

Another challenge of soil and land contamination monitoring is detecting and quantifying emerging contaminants. Emerging contaminants are substances that are not commonly monitored or regulated, but have the potential to cause adverse effects on human health and the environment. They can include pharmaceuticals, personal care products, pesticides, industrial chemicals, nanomaterials, microplastics, and biotoxins. Emerging contaminants can pose new risks and uncertainties, as their occurrence, fate, transport, and effects in soil and land are not well understood. Therefore, monitoring soil and land contamination requires a sensitive and selective approach that can identify and measure emerging contaminants, and assess their exposure and impact.

One possible way to improve soil and land contamination monitoring is to use biosensors and bioassays. Biosensors are devices that use biological elements, such as enzymes, antibodies, or microorganisms, to detect and quantify specific contaminants. Bioassays are tests that use living organisms, such as plants, animals, or cells, to measure the toxicity or activity of contaminants. Biosensors and bioassays can offer advantages over conventional analytical methods, such as high sensitivity, specificity, speed, portability, and low cost. Biosensors and bioassays can also provide information on the bioavailability and effects of contaminants, which are more relevant for risk assessment than the total concentration.

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Arindam Ghosh

| Contaminated Site Restoration | Sustainability-ESG| Environmental Project Management | Environmental Risk Mitigation | Due Diligence I
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Sampling Methods is crucial to obtaining representative soil samples but challenging due to the heterogeneity of soil composition. Improper sampling may lead to inaccurate results. Detection Limits is also challenging to detecting contaminants at low concentrations is necessary for early intervention and prevention of adverse effects. However, achieving low detection limits can be technically challenging and costly. Data interpretation to analysing monitoring data and interpreting results require expertise in environmental science and risk assessment. Misinterpretation can lead to inappropriate remediation strategies or regulatory decisions

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3 Data integration and management

A third challenge of soil and land contamination monitoring is integrating and managing the large and complex data sets that are generated by different sources, methods, and scales. Soil and land contamination data can vary in quality, format, resolution, and reliability, depending on the sampling and analysis techniques, the spatial and temporal coverage, and the data processing and validation procedures. Moreover, soil and land contamination data can be influenced by various factors, such as soil and land characteristics, environmental conditions, and human activities. Therefore, monitoring soil and land contamination requires a robust and efficient approach that can integrate and manage the data sets, and extract meaningful and actionable information from them.

One possible way to improve soil and land contamination monitoring is to use artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) techniques. AI and ML are branches of computer science that deal with the creation and application of algorithms and systems that can learn from data and perform tasks that normally require human intelligence. AI and ML can help to enhance soil and land contamination monitoring by automating data collection, processing, analysis, and interpretation, and by providing insights, predictions, and recommendations. AI and ML can also help to optimize monitoring strategies, identify data gaps and uncertainties, and improve data quality and reliability.

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4 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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Arindam Ghosh

| Contaminated Site Restoration | Sustainability-ESG| Environmental Project Management | Environmental Risk Mitigation | Due Diligence I
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To address interference between contaminants, it’s essential to consider the specific characteristics of each contaminant, their interactions with the soil matrix and the environmental conditions influencing their behavior. One example from our experience is manganese is a naturally available mineral and when we look at the chemistry of Manganese is more soluble at a lower pH. In distilled water with a pH of 7.0, manganese has a solubility of about 1.0 parts per million (ppm). As the pH increases, the solubility decreases. But due to some contamination issues, if your soil or groundwater pH is low, then manganese migrates into your aquifer or subsurface soil matrix however, manganese was not your chemical of potential concern (CoPC).

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How can soil and land contamination monitoring be improved for long-term effectiveness?

1

2

3

4

1 Spatial and temporal variability

2 Emerging contaminants

3 Data integration and management

4 Here’s what else to consider

Environmental Engineering

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How can soil and land contamination monitoring be improved for long-term effectiveness?

1

2

3

4

1 Spatial and temporal variability

2 Emerging contaminants

3 Data integration and management

4 Here’s what else to consider

Environmental Engineering

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