Recent GEO AquaWatch Webinars
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
