You may never need to monitor aquatic nitrogen levels, but if you do, one way to keep your sensor package free of silt is to attach it to a freshwater mussel. New Scientist reports that researchers at the University of Iowa in Iowa City have tested a sensor that monitors how wide a freshwater mussel is gaping. A wider gape should indicate higher nitrogen levels.

The scheme beats other kinds of water monitoring sensors because they tend to get stuffed with silt. The mussels keep themselves, and therefore the sensor, clean.

The article says that the researchers will explain more in February at the Sensor Applications Symposium.

Read the New Scientist story here.
View a poster presentation on the project here. (PDF)