Overview of Sensors and Needs for Environmental Monitoring

Abstract

This paper surveys the needs associated with environmental monitoring and longtermenvironmental stewardship. Emerging sensor technologies are reviewed to identifycompatible technologies for various environmental monitoring applications. Thecontaminants that are considered in this report are grouped into the following categories:(1) metals, (2) radioisotopes, (3) volatile organic compounds, and (4) biologicalcontaminants. United States regulatory drivers are evaluated for different applications (e.g.,drinking water, storm water, pretreatment, and air emissions), and sensor requirements arederived from these regulatory metrics. Sensor capabilities are then summarized according tocontaminant type, and the applicability of the different sensors to various environmentalmonitoring applications is discussed.

Keywords

• environmental monitoring
• sensors
• regulatory standards.