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Rapid Distributed Freshwater Lake Sampling Pilot and Dissolved Organic Matter (DOM) Observations — Miami Whitewater Lake, Ohio
Original title: Rapid Distributed Freshwater Lake Sampling Pilot and Dissolved Organic Matter (DOM) Observations — Miami Whitewater Lake, Ohio
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Researchers tested a portable, low-cost method for quickly sampling lake water in multiple spots to check for things like microplastics, using a rowboat and a field-testing kit instead of expensive lab equipment. They found that natural stuff in the water (like tannins from decaying leaves) can muddy test results, but simple tricks like diluting samples helped fix this. This matters because it's a step toward cheaper, faster tools that communities could someday use to monitor their local water sources for contaminants without needing a full laboratory.
This technical note presents a rapid distributed environmental sampling pilot conducted at Miami Whitewater Lake, Ohio. Multiple water samples were collected from geographically distributed locations using a portable rowboat-based workflow and immediately evaluated using the EcoExposure™ environmental assessment platform. The pilot evaluated operational feasibility of distributed freshwater lake monitoring, documented environmental heterogeneity across short distances, and investigated the influence of elevated dissolved organic matter (DOM) on optical assay performance. Dilution and saline-conditioning strategies substantially improved optical clarity and endpoint visualization in DOM-rich samples. This work complements the previous rapid distributed shoreline pilot performed along the Seine River in central Paris, France, and demonstrates the adaptability of low-infrastructure, decentralized environmental intelligence workflows across both urban river and natural freshwater lake environments. (Rapid Distributed Seine River Microplastic / Nanoplastic Sampling Pilot — Paris, France https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20361744)
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