Rivers Under the Microscope: How to Use AI to Monitor Water Quality
In this episode of Talking Under Water, co-Host Katie Johns is talks with Professor John Colbourne, director of the University of Birmingham’s Centre for Environmental Research and Justice and Dr. Xiaojing Li, post- doctorate research fellow in precision and environmental health at University of Birmingham, to discuss their research using AI and water fleas to identify harmful substances in waterways. The two touch on their research results and how they can inform future regulations but also share how AI can be used elsewhere in the water industry.
Show Notes:
- Daphnia as a Sentinel Species for Environmental Health Protection: A Perspective on Biomonitoring and Bioremediation of Chemical PollutionClick to copy article link
- Bioactivity Profiling of Chemical Mixtures for Hazard Characterization
- The Centre for Environmental Research and Justice (CERJ)
Timestamps:
- Episode introduction | 00:00:09
- How AI helps analyze water quality |00:01:28
- Using AI with chemical and biological datasets | 00:05:02
- River selection for case study research | 00:06:58
- Why water fleas (Daphnia) were chosen | 00:08:49
- Unique biology and ecological role of Daphnia | 00:13:08
- Research results: five patterns, 43 key chemicals | 00:15:36
- Implications for regulation and toxicity testing | 00:19:13
- AI, accountability, and environmental justice | 00:22:06
- Other uses of AI in the water industry | 00:24:01
- Collaboration between academia and industry | 00:25:37
- Housekeeping and listener resources | 00:28:04
Resources:
About the Podcast
Talking Under Water is the premier podcast for the water industry, including municipal water and wastewater, residential water treatment, storm water management and erosion control. It is produced in coordination between Wastewater Digest (WWD), WaterWorld and Storm Water Solutions (SWS). The podcast covers topics under the One Water movement including the municipal and industrial water and wastewater, residential, storm water and erosion control markets. Talking Under Water, a production of Endeavor Business Media, a division of EndeavorB2B, highlights news, trends, new technologies, industry discussions and interviews with experts across the municipal water industry. New episodes of the podcast are released every other week. Logo Images: Anatoly Tiplyashin / Romolo Tavani / stock.adobe.com.
Contact the Talking Under Water podcast editors by emailing [email protected] engaging with them on X @TUWpodcast. Join the conversation by commenting or using the hashtag #talkingunderwaterpod on social media.
Editor's Note: The timestamps were written with the assistance of generative AI.
About the Author
Katie Johns
Katie Johns, editor-in-chief of Storm Water Solutions and Water Quality Products, graduated from the University of Missouri in 2016 with a Bachelor of Journalism and a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish. Johns joined the Storm Water Solutions team in September 2019. Johns also helps plan the annual StormCon conference and co-hosts the Talking Under Water podcast. Prior to entering the B2B industry, she worked as a newspaper reporter and editor in Sarasota, Florida, and a magazine assistant editor in the Chicago suburbs. She can be reached at [email protected]
Bob Crossen
Bob Crossen is the editorial director for the Endeavor Business Media Water Group, which publishes WaterWorld, Wastewater Digest and Stormwater Solutions. Crossen graduated from Illinois State University in Dec. 2011 with a Bachelor of Arts in German and a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism. He worked for Campbell Publications, a weekly newspaper company in rural Illinois outside St. Louis for four years as a reporter and regional editor.