What is Biomonitoring?
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Biomonitoring is using information about aquatic life to make important decisions about water quality. Some important biomonitoring tools include aquatic toxicity tests, waterbody surveys using aquatic animals, lake and watershed management, diagnostic studies, and restoration.
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| Biomonitoring has several distinct advantages over more traditional water quality and chemistry measurements.
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- Potential effects of over 1,000,000 chemicals are measured
- Animals are exposed continuously to water, so they integrate effects over time (not just a snapshot like most chemical monitoring)
- Community responses can diagnose particular water quality problems (low oxygen, excessive nutrients, toxins, etc.)
- Measurement costs are relatively low compared to many chemical analyses
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