Past AquaWatch Webinars
Low cost and high-autonomy sensors and platforms for optical water quality monitoring – final results from the MONOCLE project
November 2 2022 at 13:00 UTC (note daylight savings may affect your local starting time)– by Stefan Simis, Plymouth Marine Laboratory
Abstract: The MONOCLE project has developed an affordable ecosystem of networked sensors and platforms to provide better integration of optical monitoring methods for water quality and atmospheric properties with satellite observation and citizen science. Methods range from low-cost/low-tech devices to the use of consumer drones, to fully automated reference systems for ships-of-opportunity and offshore platforms. These in situ observation solutions are supported through an open data ecosystem based on standardized data services. With the completion of the project, MONOCLE sensors, platforms and services have started entering the market for use by monitoring agencies and research organisations.
In this seminar, Prof Stefan Simis (project coordinator, Plymouth Marine Laboratory, UK) will present an overview of the sensors, systems and services developed and tested between the twelve consortium partners operating in Europe and Africa, highlighting sensor synergies and new insights from high-frequency observations. The seminar will conclude with a number of recommendations (for discussion) for follow-on research, and actions recommended for environment and space agencies to achieve sustainable observation networks in support of satellite calibration/validation and monitoring progress of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
This project received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 776480.
Speaker Bio: Stefan Simis is a phytoplankton ecologist using bio-optics to study biogenous matter in coastal and inland waters. His scientific contributions include remote sensing algorithm development, in situ sensor development and automation (mainly reflectance and fluorescence systems), citizen science solutions and bio-optical modelling based on laboratory experiments and field campaigns. Stefan joined the Plymouth Marine Laboratory in 2014, focussing on operational water quality remote sensing in optically complex water, leading in projects like the Copernicus Land Monitoring Service (Lake Water Quality) and the European Space Agency Climate Change Initiatives (Lake Colour) and supervising student projects ranging from satellite algorithm development to in situ fluorometry. Stefan was the scientific coordinator of the recently concluded MONOCLE project.
VIDEO CHATLOG Email Presenter: stsi@pml.ac.uk
PrimeWater Series- Modelling
October 26, 2022 at 12pm UTC
Testing multi-spectral satellite data for the development of data-driven models of phytoplankton dynamics in surface waters by Kyriakos Kandris, EMVIS
Abstract:
The webinar investigates the suitability of multi-spectral satellite imagery as a source of phytoplankton-related data for the development of credible and accountable data- driven models. Data-driven models are routinely deployed for the modeling of phytoplankton dynamics. Nonetheless, such data-oriented efforts are often plagued by two issues, i.e., insufficient data and the lack of interpretability. On one hand, insufficient data result in overfitting, which produces poorly generalizable models that are unreliable under extrapolating conditions. On the other hand, the lack of interpretability hinders the contribution of such models in decision making, since acting upon model predictions relies heavily on understanding why models behave the way they do. As a result, two important questions arise regarding phytoplankton dynamics in lake and reservoir ecosystems: (a) can we develop trustworthy and accurate data-driven algorithms for the prediction and forecasting of phytoplankton dynamics, and (b) can we gain insight in the drivers of phytoplankton dynamics using data-oriented solutions? These two questions motivated the webinar which discusses the extent to which satellite-derived chlorophyll-a allows for the development of theory-guided, data- driven models of phytoplankton dynamics in inland waters.
Speaker Bio :
Dr. Kandris is a Research Associate at EMVIS for the PrimeWater Project. He delivers Advanced Predictive Tools from Medium to Seasonal Range for Water Dependent Industries Exploiting the Cross-Cutting Potential of Earth Observations and Hydro-Ecological Modelling. He holds Engineering degree in Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental engineering, M.S. in Water Resources Science and Technology, and Ph.D. in Bioremediation of chloroethene contaminated sites – all earned from the National Technical University of Athens, Greece.
PrimeWater Series:
Imaging spectroscopy for aquatic ecosystems: research and applications with PRISMA by Claudia Giardino, CNR
September 14 2022 at 12pm UTC
Abstract: The webinar presents research efforts we developed in the last few years with PRISMA (PRecursore IperSpettrale della Missione Applicativa) to demonstrate the benefit of spaceborne imaging spectroscopy in aquatic applications. The presented activities, which also incorporate contributions from the scientific community, embrace the satellite mission description, the evaluation of PRISMA products for their specific use in water quality applications, hence covering the challenges of atmospheric corrections and algorithms development/testing. Examples of water quality mapping for several aquatic ecosystems distributed globally are then provided to support the use of current and future hyperspectral satellite missions, also in synergy with multi-spectral remote sensing. Links to a series of tools used in the experiment ‘Exploitation of satellite imaging spectrometry for mapping phytoplankton and aquatic vegetation’ developed in the EO Virtual Lab of the H2020 PrimeWater project, are provided during the presentation.
Speaker Bio: Claudia Giardino is research director at the National Research Council of Italy, Institute for Electromagnetic Sensing of the Environment (CNR-IREA). She has a degree in environmental engineering and PhD in remote sensing sciences, both received from Politecnico di Milano (Italy). Since about 25 years she performing R&D activities in inland and coastal water quality remote sensing with interest on retrieval of bio-physical parameters from EO, cal/val, hyperspectral remote sensing and more recently on using EO to assess climate change effects on lakes. She is member of the IOCCG Committee. She regularly supervises Ms.Sci. and PhD students, mostly from University of Milano Bicocca and Politecnico di Milano, while she is providing tutoring for students of international internship.
Calculated risk: Leveraging multi-mission compositing and machine learning for managing cyanoHABs
April 28th, 2022, 2pm UTC (see meeting login details below)
Presenter: Dr. Kate Fickas, USGS/UCSB
Abstract:Monitoring cyanoHABs in lakes and reservoirs with remote sensing requires robust processing techniques for generating accurate and consistent products across local and global scales at high revisit rates. In this research, we leverage the high spatial and temporal resolution chlorophyll-a (Chla) and phycocyanin (PC) maps from two multispectral satellite sensors, the Sentinel-2 MultiSpectral Instrument (MSI) and the Sentinel-3 Ocean Land Colour Instrument (OLCI) respectively, to study bloom dynamics and risk management outcomes in Utah Lake, USA using both single-mission and multimission-composite datasets. We use established machine-learning-based mixture density networks (MDNs) to map Chla from MSI and train new MDNs for PC retrieval from OLCI, using the same architecture and training dataset previously proven for PC retrieval from hyperspectral imagery. An extensive set of PC field data matchups from Green Bay demonstrate the reduced sensitivity of the MDNs to uncertainties in the remote sensing reflectance that would otherwise be caused by instrument noise and atmospheric correction. The applicability of the MDNs to Utah Lake, despite Utah Lake being outside of the training dataset, is confirmed by comparing PC retrievals from Sentinel-3 to in situ cyanobacteria cell density. Our risk management assessments also show increased spatiotemporal coherence of bloom magnitude, frequency, occurrence, and extent of MDN-based maps compared to other satellite-derived cyanobacteria biomass indicators, yielding potential for use as a cyanoHAB tracking tool to be used by public health and aquatic resource managers in both short- and long-term monitoring scenarios. This flexibility renders MDNs a suitable alternative for generating multimission products from future advancements in aquatic remote sensing such as Landsat Next’s new aquatic bands.
Speaker Bio: Dr. Kate Fickas is a USGS Mendenhall Postdoctoral Fellow at the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center and the University of California, Santa Barbara Climate Hazard Center where she uses dense Landsat time series and climate data to develop new Landsat science products and aid in water resource and land cover forecasting and management. Additionally, her passion lies in wetlands and water quality and she works with collaborators from state and federal agencies to explore novel uses of other satellite missions, such as Sentinel-2 and Sentinel-3, for water quality and water resource monitoring. Dr. Fickas received her B.S. from University of Oregon and her M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Oregon State University with Dr. Warren Cohen in projects characterizing wetland ecohydrological dynamics with Landsat spectral temporal features. She spent time as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency evaluating salt marsh wetland vulnerability to sea level rise with UAS and Landsat data fusion. For two years she also acted as the Utah Division of Water Quality’s Harmful Algal Bloom Program Coordinator, collaborating with local health departments and federal agencies in public health and water quality resource management. Dr. Fickas is also the founder and co-director of the outreach group Ladies of Landsat and works towards increasing diversity, equity, inclusion, justice, and accessibility in the field of earth observation.
CIWAWA – City Water Watch: Monitoring urban waters from space
November 4th, 2pm UTC
Presented by: Kerstin Stelzer, Jorrit Scholze, Carole Lebreton (BC), Werner Blohm (HU), Christian Moldaenke (bbe) all of Brockmann Consult GmbH
Abstract: Water bodies are important and intensively used environments in urban areas and in the urban hinterland. They are of great economic interest (e.g. ports), are used for leisure, sports and tourism, and serve to improve the urban climate. The monitoring and management of water bodies in urban areas is mainly in the responsibility of the municipals. These authorities currently make their assessments and decisions based on data collected through in-situ measurements and, in some cases, modeling. New techniques that increase the knowledge about the water bodies and that help to optimize the monitoring programmes is of great interest and were the motivation for the CIWAWA project. Within CIWAWA we combine the techniques from field measurements and remote sensing to optimize the monitoring of urban waters. Installed permanent measuring stations in the city area of Hamburg, Germany and recently developed measurement techniques show the potential of a combined monitoring concept with remote sensing data. Using remote sensing data in urban areas for water quality monitoring, a few special characteristics need to be considered, e.g. objects on the water surface. To integrate the developed products into public authorities, different interfaces are established to demonstrate the benefit and application of the data. During the webinar we will show some of the algorithm developments addressing urban water specialties, the combination of the different measurement techniques as well as different interfaces to users. CIWAWA wraps in November 2021.
Speaker Bio: Jorrit Scholze is a Remote Sensing Specialist at Brockmann Consult GmbH since 2020, where he mainly works on EO projects and services for inland waters, including the project CIWAWA-CityWaterWatch. Jorrit studied MSc Applied Geoinformatics at the University of Trier and gained comprehensive knowledge about remote sensing of different topics during internships in Australia and Germany, traineeships, and his master thesis “Spatiotemporal Improvement of Passive Microwave derived Land Surface Temperatures” in the Netherlands. At Brockmann Consult, Jorrit works on algorithm development, validation, automatization of processes as well as preparation and visualization of remote sensing derived information for users and customers.
GEO AquaWatch New Project Showcase Webinar
This is the Kickoff of the 2021-22 GEO AquaWatch Webinar Series and the final installment of a 4 part Project-based Informational Series begun in March 2021. This particular webinar was an opportunity for the AquaWatch Community to hear five speakers showcase their brand new projects! Many thanks to all our early career hosts and moderators – we value your contributions to GEO AquaWatch!
September 9th – New Project Showcase Theme
Host: Megan Coffer, North Carolina State University post-doctoral researcher and USEPA ORISE Fellow- Working Group 4 C0-Chair; Moderator: Sumita Bhattacharyya, Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), India.
Speakers:
Anders Knudby, University of Ottawa, Canada Fully Automated Bathymetry, Co-authors: John Hedley, Numerical Optics Ltd.; Christopher Ilori, Simon Fraser University
Hubert Loisel, Laboratory of Oceanology and Geosciences (LOG) France, How Ocean Color Radiometry Can Help Us to Monitor the Global Coastal Waters? Results From the Past GlobCoast and Ongoing CO2Coast Projects, Co-authors: Vincent Vantrepotte, Daniel Jorge, and Cédric Jamet, LOG
James Acker, NASA Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center, USA, Now is the Right Time for CORSAGE (Continuous Orbital Remote Sensing of Archipelagic Geochemical Events), Co-authors: Jude Wilber, Capella Consulting Group; Christopher W. Brown, NOAA/NESDIS/STAR; Albert Hine, University of South Florida College of Marine Science (emeritus); Christopher Sabine, University of Hawaii Manoa SOEST
Andrew Tyler & Peter Hunter, University of Stirling, Scotland’s International Environment Centre: The Forth-Environmental Resilience Array, Sam Barnett, Evangelos Spyrakos, Armando Marino, Carlos: University of Stirling; Simon Haston, Tim Marshfield Ashleigh Timmins; Patrick Cheffins: British Telecom
Lindsay Wancour, Adventure Scientists, USA, How process leads to action: Adventure Scientists’ inventory of Wild and Scenic Rivers
GEO AquaWatch Project Update Lightning Talks Webinar Series.
A 3 week series offering an opportunity to hear various speakers provide AquaWatch Community project updates in a series of lightning round talks! Many thanks to the Group on Earth Observations for hosting the videos on their YouTu.be Channel!
April 29, 2021 – Marine Coastal Theme
Host: Steven Greb, GEO AquaWatch Director; Moderators: Marie “Cindy” Lebrasse, ORISE fellow, USEPA, Ph.D. Candidate at North Carolina State University, Veloisa Mascarenhas, Research Fellow, University of Stirling, Scotland, UK, and Chris Lee, undergraduate student, Rochester Institute of Technology, USA.
Speakers:
Avi Putri Pertiwi, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Germany, Coastal turbid zone detection using Sentinel-2 imageries on Google Earth Engine cloud platform. Co-Authors: Dimosthenis Traganos and Chengfa Benjamin Lee, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Germany
Dimitry Van Der Zande, RBINS, Belgium, The New High-Resolution Coastal Service within CMEMS. Co-Authors: Kerstin Stelzer, Brockmann Consult; Martin Böttcher, Brockmann Consult; Carole Lebreton, Brockmann Consult; Joao Cardoso dos Santos, RBINS; Sindy Sterckx, VITO; Quinten Vanhellemont, RBINS; Kevin Ruddick, RBINS; and Carsten Brockmann, Brockmann Consult
Veronica Lance, NOAA, USA, NOAA CoastWatch/OceanWatch/PolarWatch makes the link from aquatic satellite data products to applications and information.
Jordi Sandalinas, Open University of Catalonia, Spain, Maritime earth observation and the EU Copernicus Regulation: legal and economic benefits, a preliminary study.
Steef Peters, Water Insight, Netherlands, Launch of a Commercial service Platform for User-relevant Coastal water monitoring services based on Earth Observation (CoastObs). Co-authors: Federica Braga, CNR. Vittorio E. Brando, CNR. Tony van der Hiele, HZ University of Applied Sciences. Annelies Hommersom, Water Insight. Pierre Gernez, University of Nantes. Laurent Barillé, University of Nantes. Laura Zoffoli, University of Nantes. Anne-Laure Barillé, Bio-Littoral. Nicolas Harin, Bio-Littoral. Luis González Vilas, University of Vigo. Jesus M. Torres Palenzuela, University of Vigo. Mariana Mata Lara, Geonardo. Andrew Tyler, Stirling University. Peter Hunter, Stirling University. Evangelos Spyrakos, Stirling University. Caitlin Riddick, Stirling University. Shenglei Wang, Stirling University. Dalin Jiang, Stirling University. Jasper van Houcke, HZ University of Applied Sciences. Lazaros Spaias, Water Insight
Els Knaeps, VITO, Belgium, Remote detection of plastic litter in a marine environment. Co-author: Mehrdad Moshtaghi, VITO
May 19 –Coastal Transitional/Estuaries Theme
Host: Blake Schaeffer, USEPA, GEO AquaWatch Management Team and WG 3 Co-Chair; Moderators: Dulcinea Avouris, Post-doctoral Scholar at the University of California, Merced; Dalin Jiang, Research Fellow, University of Stirling, UK; and Sumita Bhattacharyya, PhD Candidate, Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment, India.
Speakers:
Adriana Maria Constantinescu, National Institute of Marine Geology and Geoecology (GeoEcoMar), Romania, DANUBIUS-RI: International Centre for Advanced Studies on River-Sea Systems – Observation Node, link between EO and in-situ measurements. Co-authors: Andrew Tyler, Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling, United Kingdom; Steve Groom, Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Plymouth, United Kingdom; Adrian Stanica, GeoEcoMar & DANUBIUS-PP Consortium
Steve Groom, Plymouth Marine Laboratory, United Kingdom,CERTO Project Progress and the work of many co-authors too numerous to list
Thomas Jordan, Plymouth Marine Laboratory, United Kingdom, Automation and retrieval of remote-sensing reflectance observed from ships-of-opportunity: new directions from the MONOCLE project. Co-authors: Stefan Simis, Plymouth Marine Laboratory; Philipp Grötsch, Gybe; John Wood, Peak Design.
Xiaohui Zhu, Boston University, USA, A simple method to determine the apparent quantum yield matrix of CDOM photobleaching in natural waters. Co-authors: William L. Miller, University of Georgia; Cédric G. Fichot, Boston University.
Christiana Ade, University of California Merced, USA, Assessing Fish Habitat Potential and the Effects of an Emergency Barrier on Turbidity in a Drought Impacted Estuary Using Satellite Remote Sensing. Co-authors: Erin Hestir, University of California Merced and Christine M. Lee, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Ana B. Ruescas, Brockmann Consult, Germany, SNAP Tools for Coastal and Inland Water Monitoring.Co-authors: Kerstin Stelzer, Marco Peters, Roland Doerffer, Jorrit Scholze, Carole Lebreton and Carsten Brockmann all of Brockmann Consult.
May 11th –Inland Waters Theme
Host: Andrew Tyler, University of Stirling, GEO AquaWatch Management Team and WG 5 Co-Chair; Moderators: Megan Coffer, Post-doctoral research fellow, U.S. EPA, North Carolina State University and Mortimer Werther, PhD Candidate, University of Stirling, UK
Speakers:
Daniel Odermatt, Eawag, Switzerland, In situ to in orbit: Optical properties of Swiss lakes. Co-authors: Abolfazl Irani Rahaghi (Eawag), Camille Minaudo (EPFL), Alfred Wüest (EPFL/Eawag)
Priyanka Jamwal, Centre for Environment and Development, Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), India, Data transparency: Moving from grab sample to real-time water quality monitoring. Co-authors: Veena Srinivasan, ATREE
Leif Olmanson, University of Minnesota, United States, Advanced Remote Sensing Methods for Automated Lake Water Quality Mapping. Co-author: David Porter, University of Minnesota
Petra Philipson, Brockmann Geomatics, Sweden, CyanoAlert – Space Based Cyanobacteria Information & Services. Co-authors: Carole Lebreton, Brockmann Consult; Kerstin Stelzer, Brockmann Consult; Eirini Politi, Brockmann Consult; Susanne Thulin, Brockmann Geomatics.
Peter Hunter, University of Stirling, United Kingdon, The UK Lakes Observatory: operational water quality products from Sentinel-2 MSI data. Co-authors: Andrew Tyler, Vagelis Spyrakos, Adam Varley, and Matthew Blake, University of Stirling; Claire Neil, Scottish Environment Protection Agency.
April 21, 2021 2pm UTC
Title: Spectral decomposition using Varimax-rotated, principal component analysis: Transitioning to the Google Earth Environment by Joseph Ortiz, Kent State University, OH
Speaker Bio: Dr. Ortiz earned the Bachelor of Science degree, with honors, from Brown University, Major: Aquatic Biology; and his Ph.D. in Oceanography from Oregon State University, Corvallis OR, Major: Marine Geology. “I believe that advances in scientific fields often occur at the interfaces between well established disciplines. Because of this, I have intentionally directed my research objectives toward interdisciplinary paths. For example, my expertise in aquatic biology allows me to study the response of marine microplankton to their environment to improve the quality of paleoclimate reconstructions. I use my expertise in core and wireline logging methods like diffuse spectral reflectance to quantify physical properties of deep-sea sediments and to determine provenance of archeological artifacts. Advances in one area often help me to fine tune or develop new approaches for use in other aspects of my research.My research background has provided me with a broad and powerful set of tools with which to attack problems using a multi-dimensional, interdisciplinary approach. My interest in a variety of research topics allows me to continuously refine existing skills while developing new ones. These skills and experiences enable me to conduct significant research on topics ranging from climate change to water quality. I have received funding for my research through the National Science Foundation, the Ocean Drilling Program, Ohio SeaGrant, NOAA, the KSU Farris Family Innovation Fund for Early Achievement, and the KSU University Research and Teaching Councils.” Find out more here. View Powerpoint Slide Deck here
March 9, 2021 – 2pm UTC
Title: Developing a roadmap for future Copernicus water services by Tiit Kutser, Estonian Marine Institute, University of Tartu, Estonia
January 14, 2021 2pm UTC
Title: Towards Macroscale Application of Inland Water Remote Sensing by Simon Topp, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill
Speaker Bio:
December 8, 2020 2pm UTC
Title: Introduction to GEO Citizen Science Overview and Community Discussion by Uta Wehn with commentary by Lea Shanley, Co-Directors of GEO Citizen Science
Title: LIMNADES Database Demonstration
Presenter: Adam Varley, University of Stirling, Scotland
Date: November 12, 2020 2pm UTC
Abstract – This will be a hands-on Demonstration of the Revamped LIMNADES Database. The LIMNADES (Lake Bio-optical Measurements and Matchup Date for Remote Sensing) data repository was a concept formed during the GloboLakes research project, which ended in 2018. The database is still maintained at the University of Stirling and poised to become a preferred data repository for inland water quality Calibration/Validation data. The purpose of the LIMNADES project is to provide a centralised database of ground bio-optical measurements of worldwide lakes through voluntary cooperation across the international scientific community.
LIMNADES is open to new ideas and developing data avenues, such as the collection of citizen science data, but it currently provides a repository for:
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- Inherent and apparent optical property datasets and associated water constituent measurements;
- In-situ water constituent measurements for satellite validation.
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Speaker Bio – Dr. Varley is the LIMNADES Database Manager. He has a general background in environmental sciences, with a first class undergraduate degree in environmental chemistry. During his thesis he was introduced to the field of environmental radioactivity that would unwittingly form the basis of my career. His subsequent PhD in environmental radioactivity changed my focus more towards the physical/computational sciences and remote detection of radioactive sources. The objective of his PhD was to develop methods to process gamma-ray spectrometry data to estimate the activity and buried depth of radioactive sources. The data processing element relied heavily on Machine Learning techniques. The developed method was used to characterise radioactive contamination at sites contaminated with 226Ra and 137Cs. His current research is dedicated to developing and implemented detection system for the Environmental Radioactivity Lab here at Stirling. This involves using gamma-ray spectrometry units on a number of platforms such as carbourne and handheld systems. Another research area is the use large volume detectors to estimate the risk posed by plough-induced soil erosion at archaeological sites. This work is a component of the larger European project called the CLIMA (Cultural Landscape risk Identification, Management and Assessment) project, which aims to protect ancient monuments and subsurface archaeological structures.
Title: Whatenvironmentalfactorsinfluencetheconcentrationoffecalindicatorbacteriain groundwater?InsightsfromUgandaandBangladesh
Date: October 29, 2020 2pm UTC:
Abstract:
Title: A Virtual Geostationary Ocean Color Sensor to Analyze the Coastal Optical Variability
Presenter: Marco Bracaglia , CNR
Date: September 17, 2020 2pm UTC
Abstract: in the coastal environment the optical properties can vary on temporal scales that are shorter than the near-polar orbiting satellite temporal resolution (~1 image per day), which does not allow capturing most of the coastal optical variability. The objective of this work is to fill the gap between the near-polar orbiting and geostationary sensor temporal resolutions, as the latter sensors provide multiple images of the same basin during the same day. To do that, a Level 3 hyper-temporal analysis-ready Ocean Color (OC) dataset, named Virtual Geostationary Ocean Color Sensor (VGOCS), has been created. This dataset contains the observations acquired over the North Adriatic Sea by the currently functioning near-polar orbiting sensors, allowing approaching the geostationary sensor temporal resolution. The problem in using data from different sensors is that they are characterized by different uncertainty sources that can introduce artifacts between different satellite images. Hence, the sensors have different spatial and spectral resolutions, their calibration procedures can have different accuracies, and their Level 2 data can be retrieved using different processing chains. Such differences were reduced here by adjusting the satellite data with a multi-linear regression algorithm that exploits the Fiducial Reference Measurements data stream of the AERONET-OC water-leaving radiance acquired at the Acqua Alta Oceanographic Tower, located in the Gulf of Venice. This work aims to prove the suitability of VGOCS in analyzing the coastal optical variability, presenting the improvement brought by the adjustment on the quality of the satellite data, the VGOCS spatial and temporal coverage, and the inter-sensor differences. Hence, the adjustment will strongly increase the agreement between the satellite and in situ data and between data from different near-polar orbiting OC imagers; moreover, the adjustment will make available data traditionally masked in the standard processing chains, increasing the VGOCS spatial and temporal coverage, fundamental to analyze the coastal optical variability. Finally, the fulfillment by VGOCS of the three conditions for a hyper-temporal dataset will be demonstrated in this work.
Biography: Dr. Marco Bracaglia graduated in Physics on 27/05/2016 at the University of Rome Tor Vergata. He attended a Ph.D. course in Environmental Phenomena and Risks at the Parthenope University of Naples and the CNR-ISMAR of Rome Tor Vergata. He completed the Ph.D. with the dissertation of its thesis “A Virtual Geostationary Ocean Colour Sensor to observe short term variations in particulate matter in the coastal environment” on 21/05/2020. He is currently a research fellow at the CNR-ISMAR in Rome Tor Vergata and technical manager of the Ocean Colour Thematic Assembly Center (OC-TAC) in the framework of the Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Service (CMEMS). His scientific interests are Ocean Color, remote sensing, bio-optical dynamics in optically complex waters, data processing, calibration and validation of Ocean Color satellite data.
Title: Spectral enhancements with contra-bands: A case study of the OLI/Landsat 8 orange contra-band and its application for inland water remote sensing.
Presenter: Alexander Castagna, Department of Biology, Ghent University
Date: June 18, 2020, 2pm UTC
Presenter: Dr. Joe Salisbury, University of New Hampshire
Date: May 21, 2020, 2pm UTC
Abstract: GLIMR is hyperspectral radiometer that will be launched in geostationary orbit to study coastal ecosystems that are under pressure from population growth and changing climate. Our primary science centers on two questions: 1) How do physical processes that vary at timescales from hours to days impact the rates and fluxes of materials within and between aquatic coastal ecosystems? and 2) How do fluxes and rates within and between aquatic coastal ecosystems affect the formation, magnitude and trajectory of harmful algal blooms (HABS) and impact ecosystem and human health? To help address these questions, GLIMR will collect 141 bands of data in the visible to near infra-red (350-1020nm) with ~hourly coverage in our primary region of interest, the Gulf of Mexico. This high-density 4-dimensional data stream, (U, V, time, hyperspectral) will require creative new combinations of in-water data and advanced numerical methodologies in order to maximize the science value. We will present an overview of the science, instrument capabilities and data processing, as well as ideas on how advanced in-water assets and processing solutions could benefit the GLIMR mission.
Speaker Bio: Dr. Salisbury’s interests focus on the biogeochemistry and ecology of coastal regions, particularly those influenced by riverine processes. He is presently working on two strands of research. The first seeks to characterize distributions of carbon dioxide, air-sea carbon exchange, productivity and acid stress in freshwater-influenced coastal regions. The second strand involves the use of data from a variety of space-borne sensors to characterize net community productivity and carbon exchanges in coastal waters. For these projects his team uses a variety of remotely sensed data including ocean color, sea surface temperature and microwave radiometry. He is currently the principal investigator of a NASA satellite mission called the Geostationary Littoral Imaging and Monitoring Radiometer, scheduled to launch in 2026. This sensor will use ocean color to study coastal ecosystems. He is also co-PI of the NASA scoping study, Arctic-COLORS which seeks to implement a series of campaigns to the coastal Arctic to explore land to ocean interactions. Our UNH Coastal Carbon Group maintains several autonomous data collecting assets in the Gulf of Maine and is active in cruise campaigns throughout the western Atlantic.
Video Chatlog Publications (coming soon!)
Title: Arctic COLORS : Arctic-COastal Land Ocean inteRactionS
Presenters: Dr. Peter Hernes, University of California-Davis
Date: May 8, 2020, 2pm UTC/10am EDT (New York)
Abstract: Arctic-COLORS is a proposed NASA field campaign that is expected to start in 3-6 years and investigates the impact of changing terrestrial fluxes of materials on near-coastal ocean biogeochemistry in the study region from the Yukon River to the Mackenzie River. In preparation for Arctic-COLORS, NASA is funding preliminary projects to collect data to characterize the current state of the coastal Arctic that will be invaluable for measuring change when Arctic-COLORS comes online, and to test fundamental ideas about the transfer of riverine materials to the coastal zone that will help to shape the Arctic-COLORS science plan. This talk will primarily focus on one of those pre-Arctic-COLORS projects, in which we set out to 1) measure current conditions primarily in the Yukon River delta but also collected samples on the north slope of Alaska, 2) characterize the transformation of riverine materials from the head of tides through the delta and out to salinity, and 3) refine and develop algorithms for local Arctic water quality parameters and concentrations from remote sensing, with the ultimate goal of using those algorithms for hindcasting with existing remote sensing data. In addition to a multitude of optical measurements, our dataset also includes dissolved and particulate organic carbon, lignin, chlorophyll, salinity mixing experiments, microbial and photochemical oxidations experiments, and eventually high resolution mass spectrometry data. Understanding how river materials are transformed will allow Arctic-COLORS to take full advantage of long term datasets from programs like the Arctic Great Rivers Observatory.
Speaker Bio: Peter Hernes uses biomarkers (primarily lignin) in conjunction with several other bulk measurements to characterize sources, processes, and fates of organic matter in rivers out to the coastal ocean. In particular, he is interested in how river chemistry maps back to land use, landscape sources and processes, and constant change. He received his masters and PhD in chemical oceanography at the University of Washington in Seattle and did postdoctoral work at the University of South Carolina in Columbia before landing at the University of California – Davis is 2002, where he is a Professor of Hydrology and Aqueous Geochemist.
Video (Webinar Starts at 23mins 30 secs into the recording) Chatlog
Title: Airborne drone-based monitoring of the water quality
Presenters: Dr. Liesbeth De Keukelaere and Mr. Robrecht Moelans, VITO
Date: March 26, 2020, 2pm UTC
Abstract: Recent advances in Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS), or airborne drones, have created an additional monitoring platform that provides an opportunity to capture spatial, spectral and temporal information that could benefit a wide range of applications. This with a relative small investment, especially compared to the cost of manned airborne systems or satellite missions. However, the conversion of the raw data into physically meaningful values, like water-leaving reflectance, turbidity or chlorophyll concentrations is not so straightforward. This presentation will show the challenges faced when using airborne drone data over water surfaces through experiences from different field campaigns, organized in the framework of the MONOCLE H2020 research and innovation project.
Speaker Bios – Dr. De Keukelaere: A young researcher with a Master degree in Bio-Science Engineering, Liesbeth De Keukelaere’s focus is on soil, water and Earth Observation. During her first year after graduation, Liesbeth worked on spectral unmixing techniques to distinguish different tree species within one pixel. She then shifted her attention to water applications, investigating remote sensing’s potential for water quality monitoring in inland, coastal and transitional waters. In the summer of 2016 she was selected to participate with the IOCCG Summer Lecture Series: Frontiers in Ocean Optics and Ocean Colour Science, and in autumn 2016 she followed an introductory course on Aquaculture at Odisee Hogeschool (Belgium). During her career she’s been involved in multiple projects including two FP7 projects – INFORM (Improved monitoring and forecasting of ecological status of European Inland waters by combining Future earth ObseRvation data and Models) and HIGHROC (High Spatial and Temporal Resolution Ocean Colour coastal water products and services) – Belspo funded projects including REMEDY (Remote Monitoring of tropical Ecosystem Dynamics) and DRONESED (Dronese-based Sediment Mapping for Dredging Operations) as well as the ESA PV-LAC project (Advanced Land, Aerosol and Coastal products for Proba-V).
Mr. Robrecht Moelans: Robrecht is working with VITO as R&D Professional in processing drone and satellite images for water & coastal applications. Before VITO, Robrecht worked as R&D Project Manager with G-tec in Liège, Belgium and as Operational Superintendent (expat) with dredging company Jan De Nul. He is holding a Master’s degree in Mining and Geotechnical Engineering from Katholieke Universiteit Leuven.
Video Chat Transcript Nechad et al (2009) TSM methodology
Sarantuyaa coordinates the UNESCO-IHP’s International Initiative on Water Quality (IIWQ) and leads IHP activities on water quality and wastewater. She has developed several UNESCO projects on emerging issues and innovative approaches to water quality such as: satellite-based water quality monitoring; emerging pollutants; nature-based solutions to water quality; and climate change and water quality. She has developed the concept of the satellite-based UNESCO World Water Quality Portal to enhance open access water quality data at the global level.
Between 2007 and 2015, Sarantuyaa was responsible for UNESCO-IHP’s urban water activities, implemented IHP projects on integrated urban water management, and coordinated the publication of UNESCO Urban Water Series, comprising eight major books. Sarantuyaa has published numerous research and policy publications (books, research journal papers, technical reports, policy reports, etc.) and has contributed as lead author of chapters in UNESCO-EOLLS Encyclopedia and United Nations World Water Development Reports.
Video (webinar starts at 3 minute mark) and Chat
Title: National Ecological Observatory Network: Open data for ecological research and monitoring from across the US
Presenters: Battelle Ecology’s Bobby Hensley (Research Scientist, Aquatic Ecology) and Tristen Goulden (Lead Research Scientist, Remote Sensing)
Abstract: The National Science Foundation’s National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) is an ecological observation facility, funded by US’s National Science Foundation. NEON collects and provides open data from 81 field sites across the United States that characterize and quantify how the nation’s ecosystems are changing. The observatory includes 81 field sites (47 terrestrial and 34 aquatic) located in different ecosystems across the United States (including Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico). Data collection methods are standardized across sites and include automated instrument measurements, observational field sampling, and airborne remote sensing surveys. This webinar will provide an introduction to NEON and the over 175 data products with an emphasis on the aquatics and remote sensing data and infrastructure. More about the NEON program can be found at www.neonscience.org.
Presenter Bios:
Bobby Hensley, NEON Research Scientist – Aquatic Ecology
Bobby is an aquatic biogeochemist on the Aquatic Instruments science team. He has a background in using in-situ sensors to understand controls on stream metabolism and nutrient spiraling. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Florida.
Tristan Goulden, NEON Lead Research Scientist – Remote Sensing
Tristan is a remote sensing scientist with NEON specializing in LiDAR. He also co-lead NEON’s Remote Sensing Integrated Product Team which focusses on developing algorithms and associated documentation for all of NEON’s remote sensing data products. His past research focus has been on characterizing uncertainty in LiDAR observations/processing and propagating the uncertainty into downstream data products. His past experience in LiDAR has included all aspects of the LIDAR workflow including; mission planning, airborne operations, processing of raw data, and development of higher level data products.
Aquatic Ecology Slides (Coming Soon) Remote Sensing Slides. Chat Video (NOTE:webinar starts at 22 minute mark)
Title: The Online Cyanobacteria Warning and Information Service from Satellite Remote Sensing
Date: 4 April 2019, 14:00 UTC
This webinar was presented by Dr. Mark Matthews, founder and Director of CyanoLakes(Pty) Ltd, a commercial earth observation service provider. Dr. Matthews specialised in bio-optical remote sensing of cyanobacteria blooms and their detection from space. He graduated from the University of Cape Town in 2014 with a thesis entitled “distinguishing cyanobacteria from algae using bio-optical remote sensing”. He has published several papers in internationally recognised journals in the field, and is the author of the chapter on bio-optical modelling of chlorophyll-a in the textbook “Bio-optical modelling and remote sensing of inland waters”. Since graduating he has led several projects funded by the Water Research Commission in South Africa and the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 programme. He founded CyanoLakes (Pty) Ltd in 2015 after winning the Copernicus Masters Ideas Challenge for best business idea for earth observation data. As the director of CyanoLakes (Pty) Ltd he is passionate about bringing the benefits of earth observation innovations to governmental water and health authorities, utilities and industry around the world through CyanoLakes’s online public health information service offering.
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Abstract: At CyanoLakes we help water utilities and government agencies monitor toxin producing cyanobacteria blooms in their source waters, helping them use their limited resources more effectively and become more informed and responsive. During this talk we will discover how water utilities and government authorities can use CyanoLakes paid services to enhance and supplement their ongoing monitoring programs.
Recording: Video Q&A Chatfile
Recording: Video Q&A Chatfile
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Special Horizon2020 Monocle/GEO AquaWatch co-hosted webinar!
Sustainability of Future Environmental Observation Networks
24 October 2018
For this seminar, invited speakers/panellists were MONOCLE Expert Advisory Board members Debbie Chapman (University College Cork and UN Environment GEMS/Water), Henrik Steen Andersen (European Environment Agency) and Steve Greb (GEO AquaWatch,University of Wisconsin-Madison) and MONOCLE contributors, Kathrin Poser (Water Insight,WP5 lead) and Oliver Clements (PML).
Abstract: The third MONOCLE webinar in the series addresses sustainability of environmental monitoring networks, in particular hybrid services of in situ and satellite observation networks. How do we safeguard long-term measurement series while sensor technology continues to improve? How should data collection be funded to be sustainable? How should a multi-scale observation network feed into regional and global reporting strategies?
An overview on current water quality monitoring policy and challenges will be presented, including discussion of how MONOCLE research may contribute to reaching the European and global monitoring goals.
Recording: Video
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2013-15 GEO Inland and Coastal Water Quality Working Group Webinar Series
Community-Based Water Monitoring and Watershed Stewardship – the Global Water Watch Experience
Date: 21 May 2015
This webinar was presented by Dr. Bill Deutsch, USA
Abstract:
Citizen volunteer water monitoring is one of the most popular and effective forms of citizen science, and there is a growing interest worldwide for community groups to collect scientifically valid data for the protection and restoration of their surface water and watersheds. Global Water Watch (GWW) began in the early 1990s in response to interests by community groups in several countries to become personally involved in water issues. This webinar will describe the origins and approaches of GWW in the US, Asia, Latin America and Africa and how these experiences led to the creation of a GWW model for community-based water monitoring and watershed stewardship. Case studies, data-to-action strategies, success stories and challenges will be presented.
Presenter bio:
Dr. Bill Deutsch is a Research Fellow, Emeritus in the School of Fisheries, Aquaculture and Aquatic Sciences at Auburn University (Alabama, USA). He has undergraduate degrees in Zoology and Anthropology, a Master’s degree in Biology and a Ph.D. in Aquatic Ecology and Fisheries. Bill directed the Alabama Water Watch and Global Water Watch programs for 20 years and continues his involvement with these programs, and two nonprofit organizations related to them, in his retirement. He has made about 100 international trips to more than a dozen countries for water-related projects, especially related to citizen science and community responses to watershed issues.
Webinar recording and presentation
Opening up a global water resources re-analysis dataset: the eartH2Observe tier-1 dataset and portal
19 March 2015
This webinar was presented by Jaap Schellekens, NL
Abstract:
Within four years the FP7 project eartH2Observe aims to develop a global water resources re-analysis dataset based on the WFDEI forcing dataset, improved with earth observations and extended with output from hydrological and land surface models that should be off value for multi-scale water resources assessments and research projects.
The Tier-1 dataset presented in the webinar consists of a large number of earth observation datasets, a first run of a total of nine global hydrological and land surface models for the period 1979 – 2012 and the WFDEI forcing dataset. All model output has been reprocessed to 0.5×0.5 degree resolution but higher resolution data from some models is also available. The current dataset serves as a state of the art in current global hydrological modelling and as benchmark for further improvements in the coming years.
Within eartH2Observe we promote the use of the newly available data at an early stage, feedback and comments will enable the further improvement of the dataset. All data is made available openly through a water cycle integrator portal, including visualisation, analysis and collaboration tools, and at a lower level via the protocols of the open geospatial consortium such as OPeNDAP, WCS and WMS via wci.earth2observe.eu. In the webinar the dataset will be presented and access to the data demonstrated using freely available tools. Download eartH2Observe leaflet here.
Presenter bio:
Since 2001 Dr. Jaap Schellekens has been working for Deltares where he is involved in projects and research related to hydrological modelling, watershed management and flood forecasting. Dr. Schellekens has extensive experience in (forest) hydrology, the hydrological implications of land-use and climate change, hydrological modelling (with special reference to flood forecasting) and hydrometeorological measurement techniques. In addition, Dr. Schellekens has lead a number of large projects related to (probabilistic) flood forecasting and has advised a number of leading meteorological agencies on the implementation of the Delft-FEWS flood forecasting system. Currently he coordinates the eartH2Observe FP7 EU project on global Earth Observation for Integrated Water Resource Assessment. His work has been published in leading scientific journals.
Webinar recording and presentation
Diversity-2 results
29 January 2015
This webinar was presented by Daniel Odermatt, CH
Abstract:
We report on the final Diversity II water quality product archive, covering more than 300 lakes worldwide, and providing validation for more than 50 lakes. The 2002-2012 MERIS full-resolution (FR) data used as primary input have recently undergone a first consistent re-calibration, referred to as bulk reprocessing, which corresponds to the 3rd reprocessing of MERIS reduced resolution data. Differences to the previously available MERIS FR archive are discussed in terms of matchup comparisons as well as final L3 products. A summary of several exemplary case studies carried out by product users is given, highlighting the potential of the datasets as indicators for biodiversity and other applications.
Bio:
Dr. Daniel Odermatt is an expert for spaceborne inland water quality retrieval and managing director of Odermatt & Brockmann GmbH in Zurich, Switzerland. He implemented the scientific design of the Diversity II water quality processing chain during a post-doctoral Marie Curie IAPP employment at Brockmann Consult GmbH in Geesthacht, Germany. Half a year ago he founded an independent joint venture with Carsten Brockmann to continue the successful collaboration in Diversity II and other projects. His ambitions are to contrast and structure the exorbitance of study-specific algorithms for optically complex waters developed in recent years, to advance suitable methods to operational applications, to improve the robustness of these applications and to foster their use in environmental monitoring programs and other surveys.
Webinar recording and presentation
Re-calibration of the MPH algorithm: towards a standard operational product for chl-a and cyanobacteria detection for inland/near-coastal waters
20 November 2014
This webinar was presented by Dr. Mark W. Matthews (Department of Oceanography, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, 7701, Cape Town, South Africa)
Abstract: The talk provided an overview of the maximum peak height algorithm, providing some demonstration and details on new advancements related to the recently released plugin for BEAM (including adjacency effect detection). Results of the validation of the MPH algorithm across a wide range of water types performed in the ESA Diversity II project were presented (courtesy Dr. Daniel Odermatt). The talk discussed the re-calibration exercise for the MPH algorithm, in preparation for a publication. Initial results and approaches were presented from the re-calibration.
Bio: Dr. Mark Matthews is an earth observation scientist specialising in the detection of cyanobacteria from space. He graduated from the University of Cape Town in 2014, and has published 8 first author publications (two monographs) in high impact journals, and received several awards and scholarships. He received an innovation award in 2012 from the CSIR for operational monitoring of cyanobacteria and eutrophication in South African inland waters as well as a 2014 Copernicus Masters Ideas Challenge award. His maximum peak height algorithm has been developed as a plugin for the BEAM software. He has worked as a lecturer at the University of the Western Cape, and as a consultant for the CSIR and South African National Space Agency. He is currently a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Cape Town. He enjoys spending time with his wife and two kids, and fishing in his spare time.
Webinar recording (first 5 minutes are missing) and presentation
INFORM Project
25th September 2014
This webinar was presented by Ils Reusen and Els Knaeps (VITO)
Abstract
INFORM is a 4-year FP7-SPACE collaborative project (2014-2017) which aims to develop novel and improved user-driven products for inland water quality (WQ) monitoring by using innovative remote sensing methods coupled with biogeochemical models which fully exploits the improved spectral, spatial and temporal capabilities of upcoming Earth Observation (EO) missions (Sentinel-2, Sentinel-3, EnMAP and PRISMA).
Validated INFORM EO-model products will form a basis for future Copernicus products to assess e.g. the implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD). INFORM developments will lead to recommendations for future E0 missions taking into account requirements for inland water quality monitoring.
Webinar recording and presentation
Satellite Remote Sensing for Monitoring and Assessment
Date : 12th June 2014
Time: 2 pm UTC
Presenter: Blake Schaeffer (EPA)
Blake Schaeffer earned his PhD in Marine Science from North Carolina State University studying harmful algal bloom ecology. He then served in two post-doctorate positions. The first was a NASA funded project with the University of North Carolina at Wilmington to investigate the impacts of El Nino/La Nina cycles on ecosystem biodiversity in Galapagos, Ecuador.The second post-doctorate was with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency quantifying optical properties related to the Gulf of Mexico hypoxic zone. He is currently an Assistant Laboratory Directory with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Exposure Research Laboratory. His research focus is on the use of remote sensing technology to monitor water quality. Interests broadly cover deriving water quality parameters in coasts, estuaries, and lakes using Landsat, SeaWiFS, MODIS, MERIS, VIIRS, HICO, and in the future Sentinel-3 and PACE. His interests generally include integrating remote sensing technologies into decision support frameworks. For example, he developed a satellite remote sensing approach for coastal numeric nutrient criteria. His new research effort focuses on detecting cyanobacteria blooms and disseminating the satellite information via a user friendly mobile device application.
Abstract
Remote sensing technology has the potential to enhance the engagement of communities and managers in the implementation and performance of best management practices. This presentation will use examples from U.S. numeric criteria development and state water quality monitoring programs to illustrate ways remote sensing can be used to advance management practices. In the first example, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency determined that numeric criteria were necessary to protect Florida’s coastal waters from the impacts of anthropogenic nutrients. Florida’s coastal waters have not been monitored comprehensively via field sampling therefore existing monitoring data was insufficient to support numeric criteria development. However, satellite remote sensing had the potential to provide more extensive data. Spatial and temporal measures of chlorophyll-a derived from SeaWiFS, MODIS, and MERIS were resolved across Florida’s coastal waters and provided a quantitative baseline that could be used to protect against long-term changes in chlorophyll-a resulting from anthropogenic nutrients.
Success from the coastal criteria approach has focused new efforts on the validation of an “off-the-shelf” algorithm to identify cyanobacterial blooms, potentially for national application. In this study, available in situ cyanobacterial cell count data from Ohio, Florida, New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Massachusetts were compared with derived cyanobacterial cell count estimates from MERIS. A secondary goal of this project was to develop a stakeholder tool with the capability to monitor cyanobacteria blooms near real-time, and potentially provide predictive capability. Crowd sourcing was selected as a unique opportunity to pool the problem solving skills of >500,000 people worldwide to develop these capabilities. This combined use of satellite technology with crowd sourcing provided a sophisticated stakeholder tool that may allow for more holistic management to reduce exposure risk to the public.
Webinar recording and presentation
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GLTC (Global Lake Temperature Collaboration) |
| 16 December 2013
This presentation was given by John Lenters, Senior Scientist with LimnoTech, in Ann Arbor, Michigan Abstract The Global Lake Temperature Collaboration (GLTC) began in the fall of 2010 to assemble an international group of investigators with interest in and access to global lake temperature records (both in situ and satellite-based). The GLTC group has since grown to over 50 investigators, and a workshop was held at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in June of 2012 to bring together all international project participants in a common location to share data, examine patterns and trends, and compile a global lake temperature database. Additional lakes have been added to the database since the 2012 workshop, and the data have been undergoingdetailed statistical analysis. Results will soon be available to data providers and project investigators, with plans for publication shortly afterwards. Presentation
Webinar recording
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