Aquafarm Tech: Researchers Hack Mussels to Monitor Water Pollution — IoT Tech Trends

A delicate ecosystem exists in oceans, lakes, rivers, and other waterways. IoT sensors have been used for some time to monitor the underwater health of the various lifeforms that live beneath the water’s surface, particularly in the aquafarm industry. Now, researchers have found a way to hack bivalves with sensors to monitor water pollution.

Bivalves are freshwater and marine molluscs with a shell consisting of two hinged valves connected by a ligament and includes clams, mussels, oysters, and scallops.

Their global decline has prompted active conservation measures. Moreover, continuous behavioral monitoring is a valuable means of detecting the presence of contaminants in surface waters. It thus has prompted their use as environmental sentinels. They are extremely sensitive to environmental conditions. The movement of their shells and the gap in between the valves can serve as indicators of water pollutants entering surface water.

Bivalves in surface waters feed asynchronously. However, they generally close their valves when a harmful event or chemical impacts their stream habitat, and the valve closure due to these events may be synchronous among individuals. Valve-gape measurement provides an opportunity to identify these habitat-altering events…