Unleashing the power of remote sensing data in aquatic research: Guidelines for optimal utilization

A growing number of lake studies use remote sensing technology due to its holistic perspective, its regional to global coverage, its potential to recover time series of data and its use for improving predictive models. Correctly used, remote sensing technologies allow to follow temporal developments of large numbers of water bodies to detect long-term trends and to identify immediately changes within the aquatic environment. The increasing availability of remote sensing products and their large potential for limnological studies have added another level of spatial information to traditional studies. However, far too little attention has been paid to the remote sensing methods and products used in many of these applied limnological studies. In this study, we argue that a profound understanding of remote sensing methods for inland waters is necessary for the correct application and interpretation of these type of data. Due to the optical complexity and biogeochemical variability of freshwater ecosystems, common remote sensing products made for land or oceans applications are not applicable in inland waters. For example, the necessity of a proper atmospheric correction tailored for inland waters which considers adjacency effects as well as the lack of understanding of the quality and assumptions of remote sensing products are recurring critical issues found also in recent limnological studies. Fortunately, given the growing interest in remote sensing studies of inland waters, capacity building strategies have been discussed to disseminate the knowledge and fill these gaps.

Presentation Preference: Oral

Primary Presenter: Igor Ogashawara, Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (igoroga@gmail.com)

Authors:

Igor Ogashawara, Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Berlin, Germany  (igoroga@gmail.com)

Sabine Wollrab, Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Berlin, Germany  (sabine.wollrab@igb-berlin.de)

Stella Berger, Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Berlin, Germany  (stella.berger@igb-berlin.de)

Christine Kiel, Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Berlin, Germany  (christine.kiel@igb-berlin.de)

Andreas Jechow, Brandenburg University of Applied Sciences, Brandenburg an der Havel, Germany  (andreas.jechow@th-brandenburg.de)

Alexis Guislain, Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Berlin, Germany  (alexis.guislain@gmail.com)

Peter Gege, German Aerospace Center, Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany  (peter.gege@dlr.de)

Thomas Ruhtz, Free University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany  (Thomas.Ruhtz@fu-berlin.de)

Martin Hieronymi, Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon, Geesthacht, Germany  (martin.hieronymi@hereon.de)

Thomas Schneider, Technical University Munich, Iffeldorf, Germany  (tomi.schneider@tum.de)

Gunnar Lischeid, Leibniz-Centre for Agricultural Research, Müncheberg, Germany  (lischeid@zalf.de)

Gabriel Singer, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria  (Gabriel.Singer@uibk.ac.at)

Hans-Peter Grossart, Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Berlin, Germany  (hanspeter.grossart@igb-berlin.de)

Jens Nejstgaard, Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Berlin, Germany  (jens.nejstgaard@igb-berlin.de)