Field Monitoring & Measurement
Precise on-site parameters
In-situ measurement of environmental parameters where the reading has to be taken at the source rather than in a laboratory.
Some parameters cannot survive the journey
Dissolved oxygen, pH, temperature and conductivity change between the sampling point and the laboratory bench. For these, the measurement has to happen in the field, which puts the burden on calibration and technique rather than on laboratory conditions.
Continuous logging raises a different question: what the data means. A month of readings is only useful if the deployment was designed around a question, and if the meteorological context needed to interpret it was recorded at the same time.
What field monitoring covers
In-situ water parameters
Dissolved oxygen, pH, conductivity, temperature and turbidity measured at the point of interest with calibrated field instruments.
Continuous data logging
Deployed loggers recording over days or months where a single reading would not answer the question.
Meteorological measurement
Wind speed and direction, temperature, humidity and pressure recorded alongside other parameters so results can be interpreted.
Flow and discharge measurement
Flow rates at discharge points, needed wherever a condition is expressed as a load rather than a concentration.
Rapid site screening
Field screening to establish where more detailed investigation should focus, before committing to laboratory work.
How the work runs
Define
The question the deployment has to answer is set out first.
Calibrate
Instruments are calibrated and the calibration is recorded.
Deploy
Measurement or logging is carried out, with observations logged.
Interpret
Data is processed and set in context rather than handed over raw.
A result is only as good as the method behind it.
Have your conditions reviewedWhat you get out of it
Calibrated before and after
Calibration is verified at both ends of the deployment, so drift cannot invalidate the dataset unnoticed.
Deployed to a question
Loggers are placed to answer something specific rather than to accumulate data.
Context captured
Meteorological and operational conditions are recorded alongside, because readings alone rarely explain themselves.
Gaps re-run, not explained away
Where equipment failed, the affected period is repeated rather than presented with a footnote.
Where field measurement applies
Discharge monitoring
In-situ parameters are measured at the discharge point alongside samples taken for laboratory analysis, because several determinands cannot wait.
Discuss your siteReceiving waters
Upstream and downstream measurement establishes what effect a discharge is actually having, which a single point cannot show.
Discuss your siteConstruction dewatering
Water pumped from excavations needs checking before discharge, and the quality changes as the works progress.
Discuss your siteBaseline surveys
Impact assessments need field data over a representative period before the project exists.
Discuss your siteIncident response
When something has gone into the ground or water, rapid field measurement establishes the extent while it still matters.
Discuss your siteProcess troubleshooting
Measurement at points through a treatment process identifies where performance is being lost.
Discuss your siteCommon questions
Why measure in the field rather than the laboratory?
How long should a logger be deployed?
Do you record weather data as well?
Can field results be used for compliance reporting?
What happens if equipment fails mid-deployment?
Not sure what your permit requires?
Send us the conditions and we will tell you exactly which parameters, methods and frequencies apply. No charge for the review.