WATERS Network: Observing and Predicting Freshwater Eutrophication-Algal Bloom Dynamics Using Local Hyperspectral Imaging

该奖项是根据2009年美国复苏与再投资法案（公法111-5）资助的。与初级生产相关的问题包括富营养化、缺氧和有害藻华，所有这些都会对关键区域的人类健康和生态系统服务产生负面影响。拟议的研究将探索在水质观测领域扩大使用常用的遥感工具，高光谱成像（HSI）。事实证明，无论是在空中还是在地面上，HSI都是非常宝贵的，可以对植物类型和其他属性进行非侵入性分类，并且在较小但重要的程度上，可以绘制湖泊、相对较大的河流、河口和沿海水体的水质属性（例如叶绿素、悬浮固体、溶解有机物）。HSI的水下应用尚未得到证实，但最近的证据表明，HSI有可能揭示大量化学物质的复杂时空模式，包括对许多水生生态系统至关重要的氮和磷物种。提出的工作的主要目的是测试一种策略，将高光谱成像（HSI）的应用扩展到水生系统中一系列耦合的物理、化学和生物过程。这项工作将强调地面和水下（相对于空中）HSI的使用。实验将从实验室开始，并扩展到圣华金河谷和南塞拉临界区天文台的水库和溪流。该方法不仅将为同时绘制多个水质参数提供强大的非侵入式实时传感器，而且这项工作的结果将为大范围的大型观测站（如CZO， NEON和拟议的WATERS网络）提供变革性传感器。

WATERS Network: Observing and Predicting Nutrient-Algae Dynamics Using Ground-Based and Underwater Hyperspectral ImagingThomas C. Harmon and Qinghua GuoSchool of Engineering, University of California, MercedThis award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). ABSTRACT - Problems associated with primary production include eutrophication, hypoxia and harmful algal blooms, all of which can negatively impact human health and ecosystem services in the critical zone. The proposed research will explore expanded use of a commonly implemented remote sensing tool, hyperspectral imaging (HSI), in the realm of water quality observation. HSI has proven invaluable when deployed both aerially and on-the-ground for noninvasively classifying vegetative type and other properties and, to a lesser yet significant extent, for mapping water quality properties (e.g., chlorophyll, suspended solids, dissolved organic matter) in lakes, relatively large rivers, estuaries and coastal water bodies. Underwater application of HSI is as yet unproven, but recent evidence points to the potential of HSI to reveal complex spatiotemporal patterns of a vast array of chemicals, including nitrogen and phosphorous species critical to many aquatic ecosystems. The main objective of the proposed work is to test a strategy for expanding the application of hyperspectral imaging (HSI) to a broad array of coupled physical, chemical, and biological processes in aquatic systems. The work will emphasize the use of ground-based and underwater (as opposed to airborne) HSI. Experiments will begin in the laboratory, and extend to reservoirs and streams in the San Joaquin Valley and the Southern Sierra Critical Zone Observatory. The approach will not only provide a powerful noninvasive and real-time sensor for the simultaneous mapping of multiple water quality parameters, but the results of this work will provide a transformative sensor for the broad range of large scale observatories, such as the CZO, NEON, and proposed WATERS Network efforts.