Coastal Carolina, Clemson to set hundreds of sensors in Savannah River
August 9, 2012
SAVANNAH RIVER, SC – August 9, 2012 – Clemson University researchers are teaming up with CoastalCarolina University (CCU) colleagues to deploy and monitor hundreds ofsensors along the Savannah River to gather data for the $4-million Intelligent River project.
The sensors will collect and transmit real-time information about the quality and quantity of water in the 312-mile river.
Intelligent River project leaders Gene Eidson, director of Clemson’s Institute of Applied Ecology, and Jason Hallstrom, associate director, said they have an agreement with Paul Gayes, director of the Burroughs and Chapin Center for Marine and Wetland Studies at Coastal Carolina in Conway. The center will provide watercraft andtechnical staff to deploy the equipment, replace field equipment asnecessary and assist in routine maintenance.
“CCU’s Center for Marine and Wetland Studies has extensive experiencein deploying and operating a wide range of scientific instrumentationin diverse environments,” said Eidson. “We are excited to have thecenter as a partner.”
The Coastal Carolina team has expertise in making scientificmeasurements in challenging locations, ranging from studies collectingsediment cores from an icebreaker in the Arctic Ocean to chemicallytracing fluids seeping from the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico on aresearch submarine.
The majority of its focus has been specializing in shallow-waterapplications along the South Carolina coast: the ocean, estuaries andrivers. The scientists have maintained an array of oceanmeteorological-sensing systems at regional piers and instrument buoysystems off the coast and mapped extensive areas of the S.C. continentalshelf.
The Intelligent River environmental data-collection system or“macroscope” will include a network of remote sensors to collect, storeand send data on river conditions ranging from water quality and flow tostormwater runoff and pollution discharges. Wireless transmitters willsend data on temperature, water clarity, dissolved oxygen and otherenvironmental indicators to Clemson, where the information will beprocessed and posted on the Internet. Anyone anywhere in the world canmonitor the well-being of the river.
Clemson and Coastal Carolina have partnered on offshorerenewable-energy initiatives for several years, combining the strengthsof Clemson’s Restoration Institute, engineering and energy programs andCoastal’s marine science and ocean atmospheric observation and modelingcapabilities.
“Joining Clemson’s Intelligent River team will be a great extensionof the existing offshore cooperative efforts bringing technicalresources and capabilities together that are needed to better understandand manage our environmental resources as integrated systems,” saidGayes.
Coastal Carolina University is developing a doctoral program inmarine science and collaborating with Clemson on expanding access offaculty and students to specialized capabilities and programs at bothinstitutions.
