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Bautista-Puig N, Barreiro-Gen M, Statulevičiūtė G, Stančiauskas V, Dikmener G, Akylbekova D, Lozano R. Unraveling public perceptions of the Sustainable Development Goals for better policy implementation. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 912:169114. [PMID: 38065498 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.169114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2023] [Revised: 12/02/2023] [Accepted: 12/03/2023] [Indexed: 01/18/2024]
Abstract
Public participation is crucial for policy-making and can contribute to strengthening democracies and decision-making. Public participation can help to address sustainability challenges and plays a key role in attaining the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). While the SDGs are policy concepts, there has been limited research conducted on how the public perceives the SDGs. Public participation in scientific research has been carried out through citizen science (CS). This paper analyzes the public's perception of the SDGs through CS and how the public can participate in their implementation. The paper uses the OSDG community platform, a citizen science platform with >2000 participants, to analyze public perception of the SDGs. A set of 40,062 excerpts of text (v2023-01-01), a topic modeling and agreement scores by using CorTexT Manager software, was analyzed. The results show that some SDGs, e.g. health (SDG3) or life below water (SDG14), have higher levels of agreement from the public, whilst for other SDGs the public disagree on their perception, (e.g. zero hunger). The paper shows that issues affecting citizens' daily lives (e.g. in People related goals) tend to have a higher level of agreement among volunteers, while economic issues and directives have greater discrepancies. The results provide an overview of the differences in public perception on the SDGs and their implementation. The misperceptions regarding the SDGs should be reduced to achieve a better implementation, improve public participation, and help policy-making processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Núria Bautista-Puig
- Department of Library and Information Sciences, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid. Spain.
| | - María Barreiro-Gen
- Department of Economics, Faculty of Economics and Business, Universidad de Coruña, Coruña, Spain.
| | | | | | - Gokhan Dikmener
- ICPSD SDG AI Lab, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Istanbul, Turkey.
| | - Dina Akylbekova
- ICPSD SDG AI Lab, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Istanbul, Turkey.
| | - Rodrigo Lozano
- Organisational Sustainability, 128 City Road, London EC1V 2NX, UK.
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Ramírez SB, van Meerveld I, Seibert J. Citizen science approaches for water quality measurements. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 897:165436. [PMID: 37433338 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.165436] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2023] [Revised: 06/13/2023] [Accepted: 07/08/2023] [Indexed: 07/13/2023]
Abstract
Citizen science has become a widely used approach in water quality studies. Although there are literature reviews about citizen science and water quality assessments, an overview of the most commonly used methods and their strengths and weaknesses is still lacking. Therefore, we reviewed the scientific literature on citizen science for surface water quality assessments and examined the methods and strategies used by the 72 studies that fulfilled our search criteria. Special attention was given to the parameters monitored, the monitoring tools, and the spatial and temporal resolution of the data collected in these studies. In addition, we discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the different approaches used in water quality assessments and their potential to complement traditional hydrological monitoring and research.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Jan Seibert
- Department of Geography, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland; Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
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Vasantha Raman N, Dubey A, Millar E, Nava V, Leoni B, Gallego I. Monitoring contaminants of emerging concern in aquatic systems through the lens of citizen science. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 874:162527. [PMID: 36870506 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.162527] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2022] [Revised: 02/08/2023] [Accepted: 02/24/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Global urbanization trends have led to the widespread increasing occurrence of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) such as pharmaceuticals, personal care products, pesticides, and micro- and nano-plastics in aquatic systems. Even at low concentrations, these contaminants pose a threat to aquatic ecosystems. To better understand the effects of CECs on aquatic ecosystems, it is important to measure concentrations of these contaminants present in these systems. Currently, there is an imbalance in CEC monitoring, with more attention to some categories of CECs, and a lack of data about environmental concentrations of other types of CECs. Citizen science is a potential tool for improving CEC monitoring and to establish their environmental concentrations. However, incorporating citizen participation in the monitoring of CECs poses some challenges and questions. In this literature review, we explore the landscape of citizen science and community science projects which monitor different groups of CECs in freshwater and marine ecosystems. We also identify the benefits and drawbacks of using citizen science to monitor CECs to provide recommendations for sampling and analytical methods. Our results highlight an existing disparity in frequency of monitoring different groups of CECs with implementing citizen science. Specifically, volunteer participation in microplastic monitoring programs is higher than volunteer participation in pharmaceutical, pesticide, and personal care product programs. These differences, however, do not necessarily imply that fewer sampling and analytical methods are available. Finally, our proposed roadmap provides guidance on which methods can be used to improve monitoring of all groups of CECs through citizen science.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nandini Vasantha Raman
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Droevendaalsesteeg 10, 6708 PB Wageningen, the Netherlands.
| | - Asmita Dubey
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Droevendaalsesteeg 10, 6708 PB Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Edward Millar
- Environmental Applied Science and Management, Toronto Metropolitan University, 350 Victoria Street, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Veronica Nava
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, Piazza della Scienza 1, 20126 Milano, MI, Italy
| | - Barbara Leoni
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, Piazza della Scienza 1, 20126 Milano, MI, Italy
| | - Irene Gallego
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (EAWAG), Überlandstrasse 133, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland
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Joseph N, Sangster J, Topping M, Bartelt-Hunt S, Kolok AS. Evaluating the impact of turbidity, precipitation, and land use on nutrient levels and atrazine concentrations in Illinois surface water as determined by citizen scientists. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 850:158081. [PMID: 35985591 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.158081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2022] [Revised: 08/09/2022] [Accepted: 08/12/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of turbidity, precipitation, land use, and five-week variation on nutrient levels and atrazine concentrations across Illinois state. To acquire the greatest number of samples in a cost and time-sensitive manner, data were collected by citizen scientists. Volunteers collected data regarding five water quality metrics: nitrites, nitrates, phosphates, atrazine, and turbidity once per week from April 19 until May 17, 2017. A subset (24 %) of volunteers also collected turbidity measurements. Data regarding precipitation was obtained from the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network (CoCoRaHS), a long-standing grassroots volunteer network of backyard weather observers. Three ordinal regression analyses were performed: one without a blocking effect, a second with week as a blocking effect, and a third with watershed as a blocking effect. In all cases, turbidity was significantly associated with elevated levels of nitrate (Pseudo R2-0.48 to 0.94) and phosphate (Pseudo R2-0.60 to 0.80), while precipitation was significantly associated with elevated levels of nitrate (Pseudo R2-0.25 to 0.35). While analyzing five-week variation, the nitrite and nitrate levels, but not phosphate or atrazine, tended to increase at each site. Further, nitrite and nitrate levels significantly varied between the four land uses - agricultural, urban, suburban, and park. When data were analyzed by the three most well-sampled watersheds, Kankakee, Des Plaines, and Chicago, it was identified that the nutrient levels in the Kankakee and Chicago watersheds were significantly elevated relative to the Des Plaines watershed. Finally, cluster analysis identified that clusters dominated by agricultural land, and to a lesser extent suburban land use, had the most elevated nutrient concentration and the greatest frequency of atrazine hits. Data collected by citizen scientists can provide insight into the geospatial variability of nutrients and agrichemicals and can do so across large geographies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naveen Joseph
- Idaho Water Resources Research Institute, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, USA
| | - Jodi Sangster
- Department of Civil Engineering, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE, USA
| | - Melissa Topping
- Idaho Water Resources Research Institute, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, USA
| | | | - Alan S Kolok
- Idaho Water Resources Research Institute, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, USA.
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Baird J, Plummer R, Jollineau M, Dale G. Evaluating ecological outcomes from environmental stewardship initiatives: A comparative analysis of approaches. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2021; 297:113266. [PMID: 34274770 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.113266] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2021] [Revised: 06/25/2021] [Accepted: 07/09/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the extent to which stewardship initiatives achieve objectives of enhanced ecological outcomes is important for enhancing effectiveness and efficiency of environmental management initiatives. Alternative approaches - community science, stakeholder perceptions, and remote sensing - are emerging in lieu of the conventional approach of collecting field data that present different benefits and drawbacks and to date have not been directly compared. This research compared the use of four approaches to evaluating ecological outcomes of a grassland restoration project on a 2 ha Niagara Parks Commission property in Ontario, Canada. We collected three levels of quantitative data, from general site assessments to species-specific data using standardized questionnaires and multi-spectral imagery from a remotely piloted aircraft system. We found that community scientists and stakeholders provided comparable general site assessments to the field data, but that as the assessments became more detailed, differences emerged. Further, remotely sensed data were assessed and provided a more positive site assessment than any other method. Experiences and knowledge of nature did not influence assessments by community scientists or stakeholders. Our findings show that for overall site assessments, community scientists and stakeholders may be able to provide a reasonably accurate assessment. If monitoring and evaluation needs (either research-based or practical) extend beyond a broad assessment, use of a field expert or multiple methods of data collection may be warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Baird
- Environmental Sustainability Research Centre Brock University, St. Catharines, ON, L2S 3A1, Canada; Geography and Tourism Studies, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON, L2S 3A1, Canada.
| | - Ryan Plummer
- Environmental Sustainability Research Centre Brock University, St. Catharines, ON, L2S 3A1, Canada
| | - Marilyne Jollineau
- Environmental Sustainability Research Centre Brock University, St. Catharines, ON, L2S 3A1, Canada
| | - Gillian Dale
- Environmental Sustainability Research Centre Brock University, St. Catharines, ON, L2S 3A1, Canada
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Roy S, Mosteller K, Mosteller M, Webber K, Webber V, Webber S, Reid L, Walters L, Edwards MA. Citizen science chlorine surveillance during the Flint, Michigan federal water emergency. WATER RESEARCH 2021; 201:117304. [PMID: 34107367 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2021.117304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/25/2020] [Revised: 04/30/2021] [Accepted: 05/24/2021] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Rising incidence of waterborne diseases including Legionellosis linked to low chlorine residuals in buildings and the availability of inexpensive testing options, create an opportunity for citizen science chorine monitoring to complement sampling done by water utilities. University researchers and Flint residents coordinated a citizen science chlorine surveillance campaign in Flint, Michigan in 2015-19, that helped expose the nature of two deadly Legionnaires Disease outbreaks in 2014-2015 during the Flint Water Crisis and progress of system recovery during the Federal emergency. Results obtained with an inexpensive color wheel were in agreement with a digital colorimeter (R2 =0.99; p = 2.81 × 10-21) at 15 sites geographically distributed across Flint. Blinded tests revealed good agreement between official (n = 2051) and citizen (n = 654) data in terms of determining whether regulatory guidelines for chlorine were met, but a discovery that the citizen data were statistically lower than the city's (p<0.00001) especially in warm summer months led to recommendations for increased flushing of service lines before measurements. This work suggests that expanded citizen surveillance of chlorine, site specific flushing advice, and guidance on decisions about water heater set point could help consumers reduce Legionella risks in their homes. Citizen science initiatives for chlorine monitoring offer a unique opportunity for mutually beneficial collaborations between consumers and utilities to reduce the main source of waterborne disease in developed countries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siddhartha Roy
- Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, USA.
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D'Alessio M, Rushing G, Gray TL. Monitoring water quality through citizen science while teaching STEM undergraduate courses during a global pandemic. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 779:146547. [PMID: 34030229 PMCID: PMC8612102 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.146547] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2020] [Revised: 02/28/2021] [Accepted: 03/13/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many universities struggle to engage students while implementing a distance-based teaching/learning approach and to provide hands-on activities to students enrolled in STEM classes. Implementing service-focused activities that can be conducted by the students remotely can overcome these struggles. The goals of this study were to 1) implement citizen science activities focused on water quality using three commercially available low-cost test strips (2:1, 5:1, and 16:1) while teaching four undergraduate engineering courses at the University of Mississippi (UM) during a pandemic event, and 2) evaluate the acceptability and validate the results obtained. Eighty-five undergraduate students (citizen scientists) and five research scientists (control group) collected two water samples (with triplicates) after receiving detailed step-by-step written guidelines and video tutorials. One hundred twenty tap water samples were collected from private households across Lafayette County and its surrounding counties and multiple buildings on campus. Five laboratory fortified blank (LBF) samples were implemented to validate the results. While the academic background of the participants did not impact the results (p > 0.05), the results obtained using the different test strips were statistically different (p < 0.05). In fact, results obtained using the 2:1 and the 5:1 test strips were close to the LFBs, while, except for the higher concentration of Total Alkalinity (40 mg/L CaCO3), results obtained using the 16:1 test strips were significantly different than the LFBs. Results (in terms of pH, Nitrate, and Total Chlorine) obtained by the citizen scientists using the 2:1 and 5:1 test strips were consistent with those reported in the annual drinking water quality reports from UM and municipalities included in the investigated region. Overall, this activity was well received by the students. Approximately 75% of them agreed that this hands-on activity was a positive experience while struggling to attend face-to-face classes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matteo D'Alessio
- Department of Civil Engineering, University of Mississippi, 204 Carrier Hall, University, MS 38677, USA.
| | - Grace Rushing
- Department of Civil Engineering, University of Mississippi, 202 Carrier Hall, University, MS 38677, USA.
| | - Tiffany L Gray
- Division of Outreach and Continuing Education, University of Mississippi, Jackson Avenue Center, University, MS 38677, USA.
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Kriss R, Pieper KJ, Parks J, Edwards MA. Challenges of Detecting Lead in Drinking Water Using at-Home Test Kits. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2021; 55:1964-1972. [PMID: 33428401 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.0c07614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Lead in drinking water remains a significant human health risk. At-home lead in water test kits could provide consumers with a convenient and affordable option to evaluate this risk, but their accuracy and reliability is uncertain. This study examined the ability of at-home lead test kits to detect varying concentrations of dissolved and particulate lead in drinking water. Sixteen brands representing four test kit types (binary color, binary strip, colorimetric vial, and color strip) were identified. Most kits (12 of 16 brands) were not suitable for drinking water analysis, with lead detection limits of 5-20 mg/L. Binary strips detected dissolved lead at drinking water-relevant levels but failed to detect particulate lead. Household acids (lemon juice and vinegar) improved the strip's ability to detect lead by dissolving some of the lead particulates to the point soluble lead exceeded 15 μg/L. These results illustrate the applications of at-home testing kits for drinking water analysis, highlight limitations and areas for possible improvement, and put forth a testing protocol by which new at-home lead test kits can be judged.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca Kriss
- Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, 418 Durham Hall, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
| | - Kelsey J Pieper
- Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northeastern University, 467 Snell Engineering Center, 360 Huntington Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Jeffrey Parks
- Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, 418 Durham Hall, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
| | - Marc A Edwards
- Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, 418 Durham Hall, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
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Wang S, Matt M, Murphy BL, Perkins M, Matthews DA, Moran SD, Zeng T. Organic Micropollutants in New York Lakes: A Statewide Citizen Science Occurrence Study. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2020; 54:13759-13770. [PMID: 33064942 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.0c04775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
The widespread occurrence of organic micropollutants (OMPs) is a challenge for aquatic ecosystem management, and closing the gaps in risk assessment of OMPs requires a data-driven approach. One promising tool for increasing the spatiotemporal coverage of OMP data sets is through the active involvement of citizen volunteers to expand the scale of OMP monitoring. Working collaboratively with volunteers from the Citizens Statewide Lake Assessment Program (CSLAP), we conducted the first statewide study on OMP occurrence in surface waters of New York lakes. Samples collected by CSLAP volunteers were analyzed for OMPs by a suspect screening method based on mixed-mode solid-phase extraction and liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry. Sixty-five OMPs were confirmed and quantified in samples from 111 lakes across New York. Hierarchical clustering of OMP occurrence data revealed the relevance of 11 most frequently detected OMPs for classifying the contamination status of lakes. Partial least squares regression and multiple linear regression analyses prioritized three water quality parameters linked to agricultural and developed land uses (i.e., total dissolved nitrogen, specific conductance, and a wastewater-derived fluorescent organic matter component) as the best combination of predictors that partly explained the interlake variability in OMP occurrence. Lastly, the exposure-activity ratio approach identified the potential for biological effects associated with detected OMPs that warrant further biomonitoring studies. Overall, this work demonstrated the feasibility of incorporating citizen science approaches into the regional impact assessment of OMPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shiru Wang
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Syracuse University, 151 Link Hall, Syracuse, New York 13244, United States
| | - Monica Matt
- Upstate Freshwater Institute, 224 Midler Park Drive, Syracuse, New York 13206, United States
| | - Bethany L Murphy
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Syracuse University, 151 Link Hall, Syracuse, New York 13244, United States
| | - MaryGail Perkins
- Upstate Freshwater Institute, 224 Midler Park Drive, Syracuse, New York 13206, United States
| | - David A Matthews
- Upstate Freshwater Institute, 224 Midler Park Drive, Syracuse, New York 13206, United States
| | - Sharon D Moran
- Department of Environmental Studies, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, 1 Forestry Drive, Syracuse, New York 13210, United States
| | - Teng Zeng
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Syracuse University, 151 Link Hall, Syracuse, New York 13244, United States
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