Crymlyn Wetland (Bog) Data
The latest version of the Crymlyn Bog live microbial activity monitor and data logging system is now running HERE. The interface provides a visualisation of electrogenic bacterial activity on two different locations in the Bonymaen area of Swansea, UK. One is in the Mount Zion Chapel garden in the Bonymaen housing estate, the other in the Crymlyn Bog, the largest .
The Crymlyn Wetland (Bog) Data system was developed as part of Artstation’s Natural Law project. They explain HERE that “this comparative display is designed to highlight the often-overlooked value of wetland ecosystems. By contrasting soil vitality between these two sites, the artwork invites public engagement and encourages local businesses and communities to recognise the ecological significance of undervalued green spaces.”
Following on past work with electrogenic bacteria and microbial fuel cells, this project makes visible the activity of soil bacteria in a citizen science approach. Early findings indicate that the bacterial population in the bog is much more active than that of the polluted garden in the housing estate.
For this latest instalment we replaced the copper-zinc electrodes with a graphite felt pair. Unlike zinc and copper that can exchange electrically charged particles, graphite felt is an electrically neutral material. This ensures that the voltage measured is not generated by the exchange of ions between two metals, but most likely by the build-up of bacterial activity near the electrodes.
Full details about the technical side of the project will follow shortly.
Carbon felt electrodes
Setting-up the electrodes and remote data transmission device in the Crymlyn Bog, photos by Glenn Davidson, Artstation
Posts on the early stages of the project:
The electronics R+D for this project were partly funded by Cardiff School of Art and Design, Cardiff Metropolitan University
