Temporal and spatial monitoring

As for the development of agrienvironmental indicators, there has been substantial progress since 1990. Particularly useful are the schemes developed by OECD, Eurostat and the European Environmental Agency (EEA). The main challenge is to apply these schemes in practice, because in many areas and in most parts of the world, an environmental monitoring that is sufficiently disaggregated in temporal and spatial terms is still rudimentary. 

The results provided by three-dimensional MRTM are consistent with the numerical output of one-dimensional MRTM. The concentration-depth curves are shown to be similar for a nominal test case that is independent of temporal and spatial scales. Besides the numerical output that the model generates, the visualization component of the model gives an almost instantaneous look into the spatial distribution of the contaminant. This visualization is made by sliding three planes (horizontal, longitudinal, and transversal) across the entire simulation domain. Concentrations are scaled from 0.0 to the maximum values so that the trace concentrations can be easily visualized. The numerical value of the maximum concentration is also output in the visualization window, together with the current position of the visualization plane. When the trace compound is hazardous (e.g., a heavy metal such as mercury), it is also necessary to monitor the spatial distribution of very low concentrations. The current three-dimensional, MRTM visualization method provides the means to track these types of trace concentrations. 

There may be significant temporal and spatial variations in the concentrations of pesticides in the indoor environment, especially if monitoring is performed after an indoor application. Air concentrations typically drop rapidly for about 3 d after application as the pesticide is absorbed into furnishings or dissipates to the outdoor air. However, concentrations of the more volatile pesticides may... 

This entry is intended to provide an introduction and practical analysis of the current standardized aspects of aquatic toxicity biomonitoring of industrial and municipal effluents. These tests and monitoring programs are needed to determine whether management requirements or regulatory criteria are being met as well as to assess the temporal and spatial trends in water quality. 

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