Author: Samantha  Sharp,  Graduate Student (UC Davis)

Description:
Clear Lake is a shallow, polymictic, naturally eutrophic lake with a longstanding record of episodic harmful algal blooms (HABs) of cyanobacteria. While HABs occur naturally in Clear Lake, their frequency and magnitude have increased in recent years creating a public and ecological health concern. The aim of this research is to evaluate scales of spatial and temporal variability of cyanobacteria in Clear Lake across a range of different methods to validate a remote sensing tool for monitoring cyanobacteria. The remote sensing tool, developed by NOAA and applied to lakes in California by the San Francisco Estuary Institute, calculates a cyanobacteria index (CI) from satellite imagery. Satellite-derived CI are compared with coincident, in situ cyanobacteria measurements collected using several methods at varying scales and resolutions. Data collection methods include multispectral data collected from Unmanned Aerial Vehicle flights; hyperspectral data collected from radiometers; Autonomous Underwater Vehicle measurements of chlorophyll-a, turbidity, and colored dissolved organic matter; and discrete sample collection of chlorophyll-a and phycocyanin. We also obtained meteorological and physical background lake data such as water temperature and dissolved oxygen to provide context to our cyanobacteria measurements and understanding of the physical drivers of the system. Both the validated remote sensing data and the in situ data are used to evaluate the spatial and temporal distribution of cyanobacteria in Clear Lake and can be applied to different lakes and reservoirs.

Category: Scientific Program Abstract > Special Session > SS44 Emerging technologies for improved spatial and temporal observations of HAB and ecosystem change