Preprints
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-3159
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-3159
19 Jan 2024
 | 19 Jan 2024

Technical note: An open-source, low-cost system for continuous nitrate monitoring in soil and open water

Sahiti Bulusu, Cristina Prieto García, Helen E. Dahlke, and Elad Levintal

Abstract. Nitrate (NO3-), mainly leaching with soil pore water, is the primary nonpoint source pollutant of groundwater worldwide. Obtaining real-time information on nitrate levels in soils would allow gaining a better understanding of the sources and transport dynamics of nitrate through the unsaturated zone. However, conventional nitrate detection techniques (e.g. soil sample analysis) necessitate costly, laboratory-grade equipment for analysis, along with human resources, resulting in a laborious and time-intensive procedure. These drawbacks raise the need to develop cost-effective and automated systems for in situ nitrate measurements in field conditions. This study presents the development of a low-cost, portable, automated system for field measurements of nitrate in soil pore water and open water bodies. The system is based on the spectrophotometric determination of nitrate using a single reagent. The system design and processing software are openly accessible, including a building guide, to allow duplicating or changing the system according to user-specific needs. Three field tests, conducted over five weeks, validated the system’s measurement capabilities within the range of 0–10 ppm NO3--N with a low RMSE of <0.2 ppm NO3--N when comparing the results to standard laboratory nitrate analysis. Data derived from such a system allow tracking of the temporal variation in soil nitrate, thus opening new possibilities for diverse soil and nutrient management studies.

Publisher's note: Copernicus Publications remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims made in the text, published maps, institutional affiliations, or any other geographical representation in this preprint. The responsibility to include appropriate place names lies with the authors.
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Journal article(s) based on this preprint

25 Jun 2024
Technical note: An open-source, low-cost system for continuous monitoring of low nitrate concentrations in soil and open water
Sahiti Bulusu, Cristina Prieto García, Helen E. Dahlke, and Elad Levintal
Biogeosciences, 21, 3007–3013, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-3007-2024,https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-3007-2024, 2024
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The requested preprint has a corresponding peer-reviewed final revised paper. You are encouraged to refer to the final revised version.

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Do-it-yourself hardware is a new approach for improving measurement resolution in research. Here...
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