Citation:

Keith, D. AND H. Barreras. Monitoring Cyanobacteria in Western Lake Superior and Chequamegon Bay using the Sentinel 3 Spaceraft: Preliminary Results. Algal Bloom Subgroup of the Lake Superior Collaborative, NA, Virtual, July 26, 2021.

Impact/Purpose:

This study proves that spectral data acquired by the Ocean and Land Cover Imager on the European Space Agency Sentinel 3 (S3) satellite platform can be transformed to monitor phytoplankton and cyanobacteria dynamics in the oligotrophic waters of Lake Superior. During this exploratory study, satellite-derived estimates of chlorophyll a concentrations, phycocyanin concentrations and cyanobacteria cell counts data products were mapped from two S3 images of western Lake Superior and Chequamegon Bay in May and June 2021. The application  of space-based information represents another example of how remotely sensed data can assist state and federal clients in sustainable management practices  and inform the general public about  water quality conditions.

Description:

Phycocyanin is a cyanobacteria-specific pigment that is a good indicator of cyanobacteria blooms and abundance although its concentration may vary depending on phytoplankton population. The Ocean and Land Color Imager (OLCI) on Sentinel 3 is equipped with spectral bands required to predict both phycocyanin and chlorophyll a.  In this study we applied the Cyanobacteria Index to estimate cyanobacteria cell counts and the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index to estimate phytoplankton biomass and examined their spatial and temporal variability in Lake Superior waters during May and June 2021. These models will be validated using ship and glider-based phycocyanin and chlorophyll a data from the western arm of Lake Superior and Chequamegon Bay by the Lake Superior Partnership.

Record Details: