CSignum has launched a new through-ice wireless monitoring capability that enables continuous, real-time water quality data collection throughout winter conditions, addressing a long-standing gap in lake and reservoir monitoring.
The system uses CSignum’s patented EM-2Q electromagnetic field signalling (EMFS) technology to transmit data wirelessly through water, ice and surface barriers, allowing monitoring equipment to remain in place year-round.
Closing the winter data gap in water monitoring
In many lakes, reservoirs and inland water bodies, monitoring is routinely suspended for several months each year when ice forms. Surface cables are vulnerable to damage from ice movement, creating safety risks, equipment loss and prolonged gaps in environmental data.
As a result, key biological and chemical processes occurring under ice remain poorly understood, despite their influence on water quality conditions later in the year.
CSignum’s EM-2Q system eliminates the need for exposed surface cables by enabling wireless data transmission between submerged sensors and above-surface gateways, maintaining continuous monitoring throughout winter.
Understanding under-ice water quality processes
Maintaining monitoring during ice cover is increasingly recognised as critical for understanding full annual water system behaviour. Under-ice conditions can drive oxygen depletion, nutrient release from sediments and changes in ecosystem dynamics that influence spring and summer water quality.
Phosphorus release beneath ice cover, for example, can contribute to nutrient loading and increase the risk of harmful algal blooms later in the year, while oxygen depletion can affect fish populations and overall ecosystem health.
Wireless data transmission in harsh environments
The EM-2Q system uses low-frequency electromagnetic fields to transmit data from submerged sensors to EM-2 gateways located above the surface. Measurements are then uploaded to the cloud, providing real-time remote access to monitoring data.
The technology is designed for long-term deployment in harsh and seasonally variable environments and can be integrated with a wide range of industry-standard sensors to monitor water quality and other environmental parameters.
Jonathan Reeves, Chief Executive Officer of CSignum, said the ability to collect four-season data is essential for accurate modelling and informed water management decisions.
Supporting water management and environmental compliance
By enabling continuous under-ice monitoring, the system allows researchers, utilities and environmental agencies to capture a complete annual picture of water system behaviour, respond more quickly to emerging issues and reduce the risk of data loss caused by cable failures.
The through-ice capability builds on CSignum’s broader work in wireless monitoring for water quality, infrastructure and environmental applications where conventional communications methods are impractical or unreliable.
