Posters

Poster Session 3, Wednesday,  October  5, 16:00–18:00

Poster 23

Using Satellite Observations to Enhance Perspectives on Chl-a Lake Impairments and Support Nutrient Management Planning

55% of lakes and reservoirs in the United States are considered impaired and require water quality improvement plans to sustain their beneficial uses. These basin-scale plans are often designed to meet the State’s criteria for delisting water bodies. However, environmental agencies have limited financial resources for in-situ monitoring. Well-intentioned stakeholder groups are consequently making long-term and expensive management decisions with sparse and uncertain water quality databases. Satellite-derived water quality estimates can fill spatial and temporal data gaps and support planning efforts but are rarely integrated into operational decision-making tools. This research describes an ongoing project that aims to develop satellite-based tools that support nutrient management planning efforts in a State with heavy agricultural activity and many eutrophic lakes. New data is being collected at a lake that is currently serving as a pilot for newly proposed statewide Chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) standards that will be site-specific. The in-situ database includes lab-analyzed water samples, hyperspectral reflectance from a handheld radiometer, and sonde readings. This data is being used to calibrate Chl-a models that can be applied to Sentinel-2 imagery. The research team is working closely with local stakeholders and emphasizing the need to present water quality maps in the context of current decision-making needs. Toward this goal, a historical analysis of the study site was completed that produced turbidity and total suspended sediment (TSS) estimates from Landsat-7 imagery. Stakeholder-driven insights from this historical analysis will be presented along with results and ongoing research associated with the newly collected data and Chl-a models.

Courtney Di Vittorio, Wake Forest University, [email protected], 0000-0001-8623-1982

Michael Moerk, Wake Forest University, [email protected]

Kyana Young, Wake Forest University, [email protected], 0000-0002-7117-2649

Jaime Cardenas Sanchez, Wake Forest University, [email protected], 0000-0001-8726-3003