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Development of Water Quality Indicators Using Remote Sensing
Objective:
- Develop and test models that aid in monitoring, assessing and quantifying the spatial and temporal distributions of water quality parameters using remotely sensed data.
- Develop a library of water quality indicators that can be measured using remotely sensed data.
Approach:
- In 2004 to 2006, EERD is part of a developing interagency agreement (IAG) with the Department of Energy (DOE).
- Will use historical data from the Ohio and Neuse Rivers to improve algorithms for measuring water quality parameters.
- Will collect new data from the Nuese River to determine it's usability for detecting water quality parameters associated with CAFOs.
Why This Research Is Needed:
Water quality monitoring via remote sensing is an emerging technology that the U.S. EPA's Ecological Exposure Research Division (EERD) is working to develop. When our vision is fully realized, resource managers and stakeholders will be able to view the full distributions of a suite of water quality parameters across an entire water body in near real time. It will cost less money than field-based monitoring, allow water bodies to be sampled frequently, and provide the means to sample on large spatial scales.
EERD Experience:
- In 1999, conducted a study of the Great Miami River, Ohio using data collected by an airborne sensor. The data was used to develop the indicators of Chlorophyll, turbidity, total suspended solids (TSS), and phosphorous.
- In 2001, conducted a study of the Ohio River using data collected by an airborne sensor. Used the data to test and further develop the indicators from the 1999 study.
- In 2002, conducted a study of the Ohio River using data collected by a satellite-bound sensor. Established that water quality measurements could be made with data collected from space.
Expected Outputs/Outcomes:
- Tools that resource managers can use to screen rivers for a suite of water quality parameters in near real time.
- Use of historical records to develop trends and formulate predictive models of future regional vulnerabilities.
- The means for resource managers to identify point and non-point sources of pollution.
- Ability to monitor and assess rivers more thoroughly, more frequently, and for less.
Contact: Brad Autrey - autrey.brad@epa.gov - (Cincinnati, OH)