Recent Comments

Environmental Monitoring

Environmental Monitoring

The central argument for monitoring can be stated in a single sentence: You cannot recognize, understand, improve or maintain what you do not or cannot measure. The ability to measure is a necessity—an activity that we need to maintain our well-being and the quality of our lives. Also, this need places monitoring squarely in the context of achieving sustainability; it provides valuable tools that offer indicative measures of:

  • Ecological and Environmental Resources;
  • Economic Development and Growth; and
  • Social Structure and Dynamics.

Purposeful, scientifically-defensible and credible measurements and observations in each of these areas can provide powerful bases for decisions and management actions that are focused upon a variety of goals including those related to sustainability. Broad categories of measurements arise from the practice of a spectrum of disciplines, not only those arising from environmental issues, opportunities and concerns.

Definition

The etymology of the term 'monitoring' derives from the Latin monēre: to warn (that is, “something or someone that warns, an overseer). Originally, in English, the definition of the term monitoring was limited to characterizing “someone who gives a warning so that a mistake can be avoided”. Now, it also connotes the act of observing something (and sometimes keeping a record of that observation; or to: keep watch; keep track of; keep under surveillance; or, check usually for a special purpose). With ever-increasing technological capability, the term can be used to describe a device (usually electronic) used to record, regulate, or control a process or system. Its meaning extends to keeping track of systematically (that is, on a regular or ongoing basis) with a view to collecting information. For example, to monitor the plant or animal populations of an ecological system or drinking water for impurities, to measure the condition of a nation's economy, or to monitor a peoples' social, political or cultural views or habits.

    • Remote sensing Featured Article Remote sensing Remote sensing

      Introduction     Remote sensing can be defined as the collection of data about an object from a distance. Humans and many other types of... More »

    • Earth's Clouds Lowering Featured News Earth's Clouds Lowering Earth's Clouds Lowering

      This image of clouds over the southern Indian Ocean was acquired by NASA’s polar-orbiting Terra spacecraft. The featured study revealed an overall trend of decreasing... More »

    • Healthy Community Design Featured Resource Healthy Community Design Healthy Community Design

      The way we design and build our communities can affect our physical and mental health. Healthy community design integrates evidence-based health strategies into community... More »

    • Review: Forest restoration Featured Article Review: Forest restoration Review: Forest restoration

      This Review, written by Raf Aerts and Olivier Honnay*, appeared first in BioMed Central Ecology—a peer-reviewed, open access journal. This review article is part of the... More »

    • Scented Products and VOCs Featured Article Scented Products and VOCs Scented Products and VOCs

      A single fragrance in a product can contain a mixture of hundreds of chemicals, some of which react with ozone in ambient air to form dangerous secondary pollutants.This... More »

    • Cleaner Cook Stoves, Better Health Featured Article Cleaner Cook Stoves, Better Health Cleaner Cook Stoves, Better Health

      Where There’s Smoke, There’s Disease. This article, written by Tina Adler*, appeared first in Environmental Health Perspectives—the peer-reviewed, open access... More »

    • Photovoltaic energy valuation model Featured Article Photovoltaic energy valuation model Photovoltaic energy valuation model

      Photovoltaic Energy Valuation Model Sandia National Laboratories in collaboration with Solar Power Electric™ has developed PV ValueTM, an electronic form to... More »

Recently Updated
National Atlas of the United States of America Last Updated on 2012-05-21 at 15:32 If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a map is worth ten thousand. This is not like any atlas you remember. National Atlas of the United States of America... More »
Antarctic Ice Shelves Last Updated on 2012-05-21 at 12:29   The Antarctic Ice Shelves are a set of frozen water landforms around the coastal zone of Antarctica. An ice shelf is a thick slab of ice, attached to... More »
Antarctic ice shelf rift: Pine Island Glacier Last Updated on 2012-05-21 at 12:12 Watching the Birth of an Iceberg After discovering an emerging crack that cuts across the floating ice shelf of Pine Island Glacier in Antarctica, NASA's Operation... More »
AIRNow: national air quality information Last Updated on 2012-05-20 at 12:33 Click Here for Today's Forecast of Air Quality The AIRNow Web site The U.S. EPA, NOAA, NPS, tribal, state, and local agencies have developed the AIRNow Web Site to... More »
Africover Initiative Last Updated on 2012-05-20 at 01:31 The Africover Project is designed to provide a digital, georeferenced database on land cover—and a geographic information reference point for the whole of... More »
Aerial Exploration of the Antarctic Last Updated on 2012-05-19 at 18:39 Exploration of the Antarctic - Part 10 In the late 1920s, exploration of the Antarctic was revolutionized by the advent of aircraft.  At the turn of the... More »
  • Articles Articles
  • Blog Blog Posts
  • Gallery Galleries
  • News News
  • Resources Resources
  • Media Videos
  • Include Content from all Sub-Sections
Type Title Author Date
Retrieving data...