Local monitoring: organization, implementation and examples

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:43

Environmental monitoring means tracking various environmental parameters, if they are related to ecology. The most commonly used monitoring of the quality of atmospheric air, water, soil. Reserves monitor the state of natural ecosystems. According to the data obtained, it is possible to draw a conclusion about the state of the environment.

Environmental monitoring can be carried out directly at the enterprise, around it, inside settlements and far from places of human economic activity. The simplest and most accessible is local monitoring, and the most complex and complex is biospheric.

The purpose of tracking can be to assess the level of impact of human activities on the state of the environment (OS) and develop a strategy to reduce it. Ultimately, it contributes to the improvement of the overall environmental situation in the world. Monitoring methods depend on the type of emissions and objectives.

History

Monitoring was first discussed in 1971 at UNESCO. At the same time, Soviet scientists began to discuss this topic. They insisted on the need to create biosphere reserves in which it would be possible to monitor the state of the environment in areas remote from human activity.

In 1972, American scientists formalized the definition of environmental monitoring as a systematic observation and control over the state of the environment, tracking possible changes caused by anthropogenic activities in order to carry out environmental management activities.

In the USSR, the head of the hydrometeorological service, Yu. A. Israel, and academician IP Gerasimov, who in 1975 published an article on its scientific foundations, participated in the development of the foundations of environmental monitoring. He identifies 3 stages of monitoring: the reaction of the human body to pollutants, the state of natural and anthropogenic ecosystems, and global parameters of the biosphere.

Spatial division of monitoring

According to the size of the observation area, local, regional, national and global monitoring is distinguished. There are no clear boundaries between them. This is due to the fact that there are no criteria by which an observation can be assigned to one of these species. In Russia, regional monitoring means monitoring within one subject of the Russian Federation. There may also be international monitoring and monitoring of water areas. National has coverage within one state.

Global monitoring is the opposite of local monitoring. Its main object is the entire biosphere. Long-lived pollutants spread all over the planet, so they are studied as part of global monitoring.

Local monitoring allows you to assess the impact of one specific source of pollution on a specific location or area.

Division by objects of observation

According to this classification, environmental observations can be: background, thematic, territorial, impact. Territorial is divided into land (on land) and water (in the seas and oceans). In the second case, they talk about offshore monitoring.

With background monitoring, regularities in the change and state of natural complexes and components are studied. With impact, observation is carried out in the areas of location of especially important and dangerous objects, for example, nuclear power plants.

In the thematic study of individual natural components, for example, steppe, forest, water, protected.

Other divisions

There are also other classifications of environmental monitoring, according to which monitoring can be atmospheric, hydrological, geological, geophysical, forestry, soil, biological, zoological, geobotanical, as well as local, state, public, departmental.

Subjects conducting environmental monitoring can be public associations, individuals, enterprises, state and municipal services.

Local ecologicalmonitoring

This is a system for monitoring environmental parameters in the coverage area of a specific industrial or other economic facility. So, local monitoring is the most common type of environmental monitoring. It is carried out by the business entities themselves. It is they who are responsible for compliance with the norms and regulations on the permissible level of impact on the environment. Reports on the results of such observations are sent to the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) or the Ministry of Ecology of the Russian Federation in accordance with the accepted form of reporting and submission of documents.

Objects of local monitoring are sources of pollution and subjects (organizations) that are responsible for them.

Basically, such measurements are carried out by instrumental and laboratory methods. The subdivisions of the Ministry of Natural Resources analyze the sources of air pollution and other media. It is important to determine the volume and composition of the emitted components. Observations covered 18380 enterprises located in 459 cities of the Russian Federation. Control can be both state and departmental.

Specialized inspection bodies control the activities of departmental laboratory services that determine the volume and composition of emissions and discharges from the enterprise.

Which objects are easier to carry out?

It is most convenient to monitor the local network at large enterprises equipped with pipes of constant smoke. At such facilities, sensors can be installed directly into the pipe. The problem might beinsufficient equipment with measuring equipment and its low quality. Therefore, it is recommended to purchase more advanced foreign equipment that allows you to detect a wide range of pollutants.

Other enterprises carry out episodic volley release through a specific pipe. In these cases, it is also advisable to install the equipment inside the pipe.

The third group includes objects with fugitive emissions and no pipes. For example, coal mines, where spontaneous combustion of rock heaps (heaps) is possible, and the release from the mine shaft depends on the intensity of coal mining. Garbage dumps, gas stations, construction sites, canteens, railway stations and other enterprises also differ in the randomness of emissions. In such cases, it is rather difficult to determine the exact volumes of emitted pollutants.

Local monitoring and control

In accordance with the requirements of international standards ISO 14000, within the framework of environmental work at the enterprise, there are 2 main areas:

• industrial environmental monitoring;
• industrial environmental control.

Certification according to these standards is most actively used in the USA, China, Japan, Italy, Spain, Great Britain. It provides some advantages for manufacturing companies when selling their products on international markets, as well as improved relations with local communities, authorities and consumers. At the same time, they decreasethe cost of paying fines for environmental items, the negative impact on the environment is reduced without harming the economy of the enterprise, the competitiveness of manufactured goods is growing.

All enterprises are required to maintain state statistical reporting, and monitoring results can be used to develop a strategy to reduce the harmful impact on the environment and become the basis for management decisions.

Conclusion

Thus, the local monitoring system covers only the enterprise itself (or other economic entity) and the area adjacent to it. This is the reason for its name. The local level of monitoring is its main distinguishing feature. However, for a general assessment of the pollution situation, this, of course, is not enough. Therefore, stationary and mobile laboratories located far from the source of pollution, satellite sounding, observations from ships, environmental bypasses, as well as biospheric stations are used. Different types of pollution and purposes require different research methods.