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Water Quality
Recent advances in remote sensing mapping tools and theoretical considerations have suggested that the amount of terrestrial surface freshwater has been previously underestimated. The total number of lakes over 0.01 km2 is 3x108, with a total surface area covering approximately 2.8 percent of the land surface. Reservoirs constitute 2.6 x 105 km2. Little is known about the cumulative water quality impact of these impoundments.
An empirical approach to measuring water clarity from space-borne sensors is being explored. This method is currently being used by the state of Wisconsin to measure lake health in over 7500 lakes on an annual basis. This data is also being used to examine regional differences as well as long-term trends. This technique is currently being modified and applied to a subset of global lakes through a grant from the NASA Energy- and Water-Cycle Sponsored Research (NEWS) program. The project will acquire both field observations (from the Global Environmental Monitoring System [GEMS] and other databases) and atmospherically-corrected satellite imagery. Lakes will then be classified using spectral and physical factors, and models will be developed relating satellite measurements to water clarity and other in-lake conditions.
Recent and current activities include:
Global Water Watch (GWW) program
- Special focus on Bangladesh and problems with arsenic in groundwater, in response to UNESCO's Safe Drinking Water Millennium Development Goals.
- GEO Inland and Nearshore Coastal Water Quality Remote Sensing Workshop (27-29 March 2007, Geneva)
- Remote Sensing Methods for Lake Assessment Workshop (7 November 2006, Indianapolis)
Reports & Presentations:
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