WATER QUALITY MONITORING IN RIVERS AND LAKES: SENSORS, INTEGRATED TECHNOLOGIES, AND PERSPECTIVES FOR SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT

Abstract

Water bodies are undergoing increasing degradation due to anthropogenic pressures capable of altering water physicochemical parameters, intensifying eutrophication processes, and compromising the balance of aquatic ecosystems. This article reviews the state of the art in water quality monitoring in rivers and lakes, emphasizing the use of physicochemical sensors, integrated technologies, and applications aimed at sustainable environmental management. The bibliometric and exploratory review was conducted through exploratory searches in the Scopus database, using records from 1905 to 2025. Documents related to temperature, pH, electrical conductivity, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, nitrite, and nitrate sensors were analyzed, in addition to embedded systems such as Arduino and ESP32, IoT communication, data acquisition, and computational models applied to environmental monitoring. The analysis reveals expressive growth in scientific production associated with the topic, especially from 2020 onward, with emphasis on temperature sensors (45.34%), pH (21.46%), electrical conductivity (11.06%), and nitrate (8.44%). The analysis also shows that the integration of low-cost sensors, embedded platforms, wireless communication, and virtual sensors demonstrates technical feasibility for expanding continuous monitoring of water bodies. It is concluded that the combination of accessible sensors, remote transmission systems, and intelligent data analysis represents a promising strategy for large-scale monitoring, especially in countries with extensive territories and limited infrastructure. This integration contributes to the early detection of environmental changes, decision-making support, and sustainable management of water resources.