Designing a system for satellite-monitoring of planktonic algae in water bodies

Summary

The procedures of qualitative assessment of the conditions of water body basins, much less continuous scale monitoring by ground services to meet the demands of different authorities and organizations are very complicated and expensive. On the basis of the carried out studies the suggestions on designing a system of remote satellite-monitoring of planktonic algae in water bodies with the use of space technologies for water basin observations were developed. The obtained results provide for the operational efficiency and scale of such activities at the significant decrease of the amount of contact measurements. Establishing the monitoring system is aiming at routine long-term observations of the environmental conditions and warning about critical situations that can be hazardous and dangerous for health of human beings and other live organisms. Biological monitoring and qualitative assessment on the basis of the Earth remote sensing data provide for the possible evaluation of the anthropogenic load on water basin ecosystems. Satellite measurements of the color specifications of the water bodies allow studying the phytoplankton distribution and evaluating its biological productivity. The developed method of the qualitative assessment is universal for all the prototype water bodies that have specific hydrometeorological, hydrochemical and hydrobiological behavior. Satellite pictures properly reflect the situation at the moment of survey and provide for the operational evaluation of the chlorophyll concentration in water bodies. The results of the carried out activities show that the qualitative assessment and analysis of the spacial distribution of planktonic algae with the use of the satellite information allow replacing to a wide extent the traditional shipboard measurements and increasing simultaneously the number of measurements.

Key words

chlorophyll , conditions of water body basin , remote satellite monitoring , planktonic algae , satellite measurements