Congratulations to Flora Kerblat, CSIRO on her election to Vice Chair of the GEO AquaWatch Steering Committee for the 2024 calendar year! Flora joined the Steering Committee last year and will serve alongside current Chair Emma Tebbs, Kings College London. Best wishes in your new Steering Committee Leadership role Flora!
April 5th
Today the University of Stirling and ten partnering organisations, announced $40,000 USD in funding from the UNEP World Water Quality Alliance (WWQA). The project will pave the way towards a complementary global Earth Observation-based indicator for SDG indicator 6.3.2 on the “Proportion of bodies of water with good ambient water quality”, through the use of free and open source satellite data. Co-designing the transboundary pilot with local stakeholders will be key to the development and validation of the indicator and platform design. Funding opportunities, such as this, enable the WWQA to provide initial, inception support for innovative workstreams addressing priority water quality issues. Collaboration between WWQA and external partners will benefit the project and all involved.
The University of Stirling, in partnership with WWQA, GEO AquaWatch and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) also plan a complimentary workshop to take place later this year, targeting barriers to the uptake of EO for inland and coastal water quality monitoring. Workshop attendees will collectively address EO challenges within the water domain, and further discuss SDG 6.3.2. The workshop will assist water quality professionals, especially in Africa and developing nations, to access free and open source satellite data products offered by global satellite data providers.
Point of Contact for More Information: Dr. Harriet Wilson – harriet.wilson@stir.ac.uk
Find out more here (2 page flyer): WWQA-Seed-project-Flyer-2page
Find out more here (1 page flyer): WWQA-Seed-project-Fyler-1page
The two-hour webinar will present different perspectives on Nature Based Solutions for lakes followed by a Q&A.
This will be followed by an open discussion with the online participants. We are particularly keen to hear about examples where Nature Based Solutions have been used for lake management and the lessons learnt.
When: 17 April 2024
Time: 15:00 – 17:00 CET/ 16:00 – 18:00 EAT
Where: Online – Zoom Webinar
Register for the Webinar here: https://rb.gy/qtbkth
GEO AquaWatch is proud of the recently published journal article several members co-authored in Frontiers in Water: The contributions of Indigenous People’s earth observations to water quality monitoring! In collaboration with the World Water Quality Alliance and a consortium of other global agencies, participants from GEO AquaWatch, AquaWatch Australia and the GEO Indigenous Alliance along with many other indigenous and non-indigenous voices in global water quality documented outcomes and recommendations to incorporate indigenous and traditional knowledge into Earth Observation for water quality. We invite you to read this perspective article and we hope it inspires more inclusive approaches to ensuring Water Quality for All!
We also recommend you read the four other companion articles in this same special issue of Frontiers in Water, which detail the novel hackathon approach of this workshop and the other water quality challenges: turning data into policy action, incorporating citizen science, and issues surrounding antibiotic resistance.
Many thanks to AquaWatch Australia and CSIRO for publication funding for this workshop outcome.
The USEPA is seeking a federal bench scientist/research technician position focused on water optics field and laboratory experiments. This position is physically located in Durham, NC and will support our research efforts focused on satellite remote sensing of harmful algal blooms, seagrass, and oil spill response. US Citizenship is required to apply.
The application period is 04/02/2024 to 04/09/2024. Please follow the below steps to view the vacancy announcement on www.usajobs.gov.
Please help circulate this advertisement to qualified candidates!
