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World first in satellite-based monitoring of large lake areas
April 15, 2002Satellite sensors operating in the visible wavelength region are now in use for the monitoring of oceanic waters.
For the first time ever, Finnish scientists have demonstrated the practical usability of satellite data for the simultaneous monitoring of water quality in large lake and coastal regions. The project was carried out by the Laboratory of Space Technology of the Helsinki University of Technology in cooperation with the Finnish Environment Institute.
The attached figures show examples of water turbidity retrieval results obtained for Finnish lake and coastal regions by applying Nasa’s MODIS spectrometer data, with more to come from the ESA Envisat MERIS-spectrometer. These sensors with nearly global daily coverage employ visible wavelength channels of observation with spectral characteristics suited for water quality monitoring of turbid lakes and coastal regions. Turbidity is one of the essential water quality indicators as it describes, in practise, the integrated amount of algae biomass and suspended matter.
The possibility to cover a large area in a single sweep is the most important improvement that can be obtained from using satellite data. The method also enables the detection of rapidly evolving phenomena such as algae blooms or oil spills and makes it possible to obtain information on regions which would normally not be monitored at all.
Conventional discrete water quality sampling or the collection transect data with ship-borne observation systems never give a complete areal vision.
These improvements are important aspects in boreal regions where the number of lakes is large and the quality of lake water is highly variable and sensitive to external pollution and climate change. In Finland, for example, the total number of lakes exceeding the minimum area of 0.01 km2 (1 ha) is about 60,000. MODIS data enables the monitoring of about 50 percent of the total Finnish lake area (16,000 km2).
Monitoring the status of the Baltic Sea is another promising application for satellite sensors. The analysis of the data from MODIS and SeaWiFS spectrometers has shown that satellite observations are useful for the mapping of turbidity, chlorophyll concentration (algae biomass) and algae blooms. Particularly interesting results have been obtained for the Gulf of Finland using MODIS observations. The MODIS data-based turbidity maps have demonstrated the strong influence of the St. Petersburg region on the overall water quality in the Gulf of Finland.
A good spatial resolution is required to monitor Baltic coastal regions and boreal forest/sub-arctic zone with fragmented water bodies, lakes and coastal zones comprising a small-scaled labyrinth of water and land areas. The spatial resolution of MODIS and MERIS is adequate even for the monitoring of the lakes of boreal forest zone: at its best 250 m and 300 m, respectively.
Teknillinen korkeakoulu (Helsinki University of Technology)
Water Quality News and Current Water Quality Events RSSNew 52-city report examines use of wastewater in urban agriculture
As developing countries confront the first global food crisis since the 1970s as well as unprecedented water scarcity, a new 53-city survey conducted by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) indicates that most of those studied (80 percent) are using untreated or partially treated wastewater for agriculture. In over 70 percent of the cities studied, more than half of urban agricultural land is irrigated with wastewater that is either raw or diluted in streams.
Using live fish, new tool a sentinel for environmental contamination
Researchers have harnessed the sensitivity of days-old fish embryos to create a tool capable of detecting a range of harmful chemicals.
Evaluating ecosystem services
Environmental conservation efforts have traditionally focused on protecting individual species or natural resources. Scientists are discovering, however, that preserving the benefits that whole ecosystems provide to people is more economically and environmentally valuable. At the Annual Meeting of the Ecological Society of America (ESA), ecologists will explore the application of ecosystem services approaches to conservation.
Researchers find key to saving the world's lakes
After completing one of the longest running experiments ever done on a lake, researchers from the University of Alberta, University of Minnesota and the Freshwater Institute, contend that nitrogen control, in which the European Union and many other jurisdictions around the world are investing millions of dollars, is not effective and in fact, may actually increase the problem of cultural eutrophication.
Where Is Your Soil Water? Crop Yield Has the Answer
Crop yield is highly dependent on soil plant-available water, the portion of soil water that can be taken up by plant roots.
New CITES quotas allow more caviar export, further jeopardize endangered sturgeon
In a decision that could jeopardize already imperiled sturgeons, more caviar will be exported from Caspian Sea and Amur River states this year as a result of unacceptably permissive new trade quotas announced Thursday by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).
Fecal Microorganisms Inhabit Sandy Beaches of Florida
raditionally, the cleanliness of a beach is monitored by sampling the bathing water a few meters from shore. But since sand is an effective filter, it follows that fecal bacteria (those from sewage) may be concentrated in the sand as the tide flows and ebbs. Moreover, trapped bacteria are offered a large surface area for attachment, nourishment from nutrients in sand crevices, and protection from sunlight.
Keeping yields, profits and water quality high
One of the key questions facing agriculturalists in the 21st century is how to produce adequate amounts of food and farm income while protecting environmental quality.
New cell-based sensors sniff out danger like bloodhounds
A small, unmanned vehicle makes its way down the road ahead of a military convoy. Suddenly it stops and relays a warning to the convoy commander. The presence of a deadly improvised explosive device, or IED, has been detected by sophisticated new sensor technology incorporating living olfactory cells on microchips mounted on the unmanned vehicle. The IED is safely dismantled and lives are saved.
UMCES-led research team quantifies nutrient pollution reductions from urban stream restoration
A team of researchers led by University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science researcher Dr. Sujay Kaushal has been among the first able to quantify the amount of excess nitrogen removed from an urban stream during environmental restoration projects.
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