Earlier this month, NOAA's National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science and other partners joined the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy in Washington, DC for a workshop to accelerate the development and adoption of nutrient sensors. Excessive amounts of nutrients (mainly nitrogen and phosphorus) entering lakes, rivers, streams, and coastal waters are causing environmental, social, and economic problems and require careful monitoring and management.
While there have been advances in nutrient sensor technology in recent years, the high cost and effort required to purchase, operate, and maintain sensors is often prohibitive for managers, researchers, and modelers. The goal of the workshop was to open a dialogue between users and developers of in situ nutrient sensors to identify and pursue opportunities for development and adoption of next-generation instrumentation for a range of uses. The workshop was supported with funds from NOAA's Integrated Ocean Observing System program and coordinated by the Alliance for Coastal Technologies, the interagency Challenging Nutrients Coalition, and the Partnership on Technology Innovation and the Environment.
For more information: Suzanne.Bricker@noaa.gov.