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Assessing Cyanobacteria Blooms from Space
Citation:
Mishra, S., R. Stumpf, A. Meredith, B. Schaeffer, J. Werdell, E. Urquhart, AND B. Seegars. Assessing Cyanobacteria Blooms from Space. 2020 Ocean Sciences Meeting, San Diego, CA, February 16 - 21, 2020.
Impact/Purpose:
We report on the concentration changes of cyanobacteria across large US lakes.
Description:
Occurrence of cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (CyanoHABs) has drawn attention for more frequent and synoptic observation and assessment of inland lake water quality. In this study, we present spatiotemporal dynamics of cyanoHABs in continental United States lakes by using a bloom magnitude metric. We estimate bloom magnitude as the spatiotemporal mean of satellite-derived areal CyanoHAB biomass, which is calculated from Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) and Ocean Land Color Imager (OLCI) observations. CyanoHAB magnitudes in all satellite-resolvable Continental United States (CONUS) lakes were calculated for the MERIS (2003-2011) and OLCI (2016- present) time series. In total, 2,369 lakes were resolved in MERIS/OLCI data, with the majority of these lakes in Minnesota, Maine, Michigan, Texas, and Florida. About 40% of all the lakes had CyanoHAB magnitude in the high risk category, as per World Health Organization guidelines using only biomass, comparable to the 33% of lakes in the National Lake Assessment having cyanotoxins. These lakes with cyanoHAB issues were found in all regions of the country. We also complement this analysis by integrating other published bloom metrics such as the spatial extent and temporal frequency to draw actionable insights, which may be usable by water quality managers to prioritize lake management strategies. The proposed framework may serve as a national level cyanoHAB screening tool for larger lakes, and would allow for annual evaluation of recreational and drinking water lakes.
