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At least 289 records · Page 16
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2018

Using Remote Sensing Mapping and Growth Response to Environmental Variability to Aide Aquatic Invasive Plant Management

Management of aquatic weeds in complex watersheds and river systems present many challenges to assessment, planning and implementation of management practices for floating and submerged aquatic invasive plants. The Delta Region Areawide Aquatic Weed Project (DRAAWP), a USDA sponsored area-wide project, is working to enhance planning, decision-making and operational efficiency in the California Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Satellite and airborne remote sensing are used map (area coverage and biomass density), direct operations, and assess management impacts on plant communities. Archived satellite records enable review of results following previous climate and management events and aide in developing long-term strategies. Examples of remote sensing aiding effectiveness of aquatic weed management will be discussed as well as areas for potential technological improvement. Modeling at local and watershed scales using the SWAT modeling tool provides insight into land-use effects on water quality (described by Zhang in same Symposium). Controlled environment growth studies have been conducted to quantify the growth response of invasive aquatic plants to water quality and other environmental factors. Environmental variability occurs across a range of time scales from long-term climate and seasonal trends to short-term water flow mediated variations. Response time for invasive species response are examined at time scales of weeks, day, and hours using a combination of study duration and growth assessment techniques to assess water quality, temperature (air and water), nitrogen, phosphorus, and light effects. These provide response parameters for plant growth models in response to the variation and interact with management and economic models associated with aquatic weed management. Plant growth models are to be informed by remote sensing and applied spatially across the Delta to balance location and type of aquatic plant, growth response to altered environments and phenology. Initial utilization of remote sensing tools developed for mapping of aquatic invasive plants improved operational efficiency in management practices. These assessment methods provide a comprehensive and quantitative view of aquatic invasive plants communities in the California Delta.

Remote Sensing↗
NASA NTRS2018

Using Remote Sensing to Assess of Growth and Distribution for Floating Invasive Plants and Growth Response Times to Altered Environments

Management of aquatic weeds in complex watersheds and river systems present many challenges to assessment, planning and implementation of management practices for aquatic invasive plants. The Delta Region Areawide Aquatic Weed Project (DRAAWP), a USDA (U. S. Dept. of Agriculture)-sponsored area-wide project, is working to enhance planning, decision-making and operational efficiency of invasive plant management in the California Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Satellite and airborne remote sensing are used to map area of plant coverage and estimate biomass density to aid operations and assess management impacts on plant communities. Modeling at local and watershed scales using the SWAT (Soil Water Assessment Tool) modeling tool provides insight into land-use effects on water quality. Environmental variability in the Delta occurs across a range of time scales from long-term climate and seasonal trends to short-term water flow mediated variations. Controlled environment growth studies have been conducted to quantify the growth response of invasive aquatic plants to water quality and other environmental factors. Response time for invasive species response are examined at time scales of weeks, day, and hours using a combination of study duration and growth assessment techniques to assess water quality, temperature (air and water), and light effects. These provide response parameters for plant growth models in response to environmental variation and interact with management and economic models associated with aquatic weed management. Plant growth models are to be informed by remote sensing and applied spatially across the Delta to balance location and type of aquatic plant, growth response to altered environments and phenology. Initial utilization of remote sensing tools developed for mapping of aquatic invasive plants improved operational efficiency in management practices. These assessment methods provide a comprehensive and quantitative view of aquatic invasive plant communities in the California Delta.

Floating↗
NASA NTRS2010

NASA'S Water Resources Element Within the Applied Sciences Program

The NASA Applied Sciences Program works within NASA Earth sciences to leverage investment of satellite and information systems to increase the benefits to society through the widest practical use of NASA research results. Such observations provide a huge volume of valuable data in both near-real-time and extended back nearly 50 years about the Earth's land surface conditions such as land cover type, vegetation type and health, precipitation, snow, soil moisture, and water levels and radiation. Observations of this type combined with models and analysis enable satellite-based assessment of numerous water resources management activities. The primary goal of the Earth Science Applied Science Program is to improve future and current operational systems by infusing them with scientific knowledge of the Earth system gained through space-based observation, model results, and development and deployment of enabling technologies, systems, and capabilities. Water resources is one of eight elements in the Applied Sciences Program and it addresses concerns and decision making related to water quantity and water quality. With increasing population pressure and water usage coupled with climate variability and change, water issues are being reported by numerous groups as the most critical environmental problems facing us in the 21st century. Competitive uses and the prevalence of river basins and aquifers that extend across boundaries engender political tensions between communities, stakeholders and countries. Mitigating these conflicts and meeting water demands requires using existing resources more efficiently. The potential crises and conflicts arise when water is competed among multiple uses. For example, urban areas, environmental and recreational uses, agriculture, and energy production compete for scarce resources, not only in the Western U.S. but throughout much of the U.S. but also in many parts of the world. In addition to water availability issues, water quality related problems are seriously affecting human health and our environment. The NASA Water Resources Program Element works to use NASA products to address these critical issues.

Toll, David↗
NASA NTRS1976

Application of LANDSAT to the surveillance and control of lake eutrophication in the Great Lakes basin

The author has identified the following significant results. Computer techniques were developed for mapping water quality parameters from LANDSAT data, using surface samples collected in an ongoing survey of water quality in Saginaw Bay. Chemical and biological parameters were measured on 31 July 1975 at 16 bay stations in concert with the LANDSAT overflight. Application of stepwise linear regression bands to nine of these parameters and corresponding LANDSAT measurements for bands 4 and 5 only resulted in regression correlation coefficients that varied from 0.94 for temperature to 0.73 for Secchi depth. Regression equations expressed with the pair of bands 4 and 5, rather than the ratio band 4/band 5, provided higher correlation coefficients for all the water quality parameters studied (temperature, Secchi depth, chloride, conductivity, total kjeldahl nitrogen, total phosphorus, chlorophyll a, total solids, and suspended solids).

Rogers, R. H.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Application of LANDSAT to the Surveillance and Control of Lake Eutrophication in the Great Lakes Basin

The author has identified the following significant results. Computer techniques developed for mapping water quality parameters from LANDSAT data were demonstrated, using ground truth collected in an ongoing survey of water quality in Saginaw Bay (Lake Huron), Michigan. Regression correlation coefficients varied from 0.99 for total phosphorus to 0.72 for chlorophyll-a corrected. Five water quality parameters are best correlated with LANDSAT band 6 alone. Temperature relates to band 5 alone and only two bands are justified for mapping the remaining six parameters. LANDSAT CCTs were used as a basis for inventorying land use within each of the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana regional commissions, 225 drainage areas, and nine counties. Sixteen categories were merged into ten categories and mapped at a scale of 1 in. = 5,000 ft, with detail to 0.44 hectares for the 2,700 sq mi region. These products were produced in less than 90 days at a cost of one cent an acre. LANDSAT CCTS were also used as a basis for inventorying land cover within the Triangle J council of governments 1,750 sq mi study area. The complete inventory was accomplished within a period of 60 days at a cost of about one half cent per acre.

Rogers, R. H.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Application of LANDSAT to the Surveillance and Control of Eutrophication in Saginaw Bay

The author has identified the following significant results. LANDSAT digital data and ground truth measurements for Saginaw Bay (Lake Huron), Michigan, for 3 June 1974 can be correlated by stepwise linear regression technique and the resulting equations used to estimate invisible water quality parameters in nonsampled areas. Correlation of these parameters with each other indicates that the transport of Saginaw River water can now be traced by a number of water quality features, one or more of which are directly detected by LANDSAT. Five of the 12 water quality parameters are best correlated with LANDSAT band 6 measurements alone. One parameter (temperature) relates to band 5 alone and the remaining six may be predicted with varying degrees of accuracy from a combination of two bands (first band 6 and generally band 4 second).

Rogers, R. H.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Kansas environmental and resource study: A Great Plains model. Monitoring fresh water resources

The author has identified the following significant results. Processing and analysis of CCT's for numerous ground truth supported passes over Kansas reservoirs has demonstrated that sun angle and atmospheric conditions are strong influences on water reflectance levels as detected by ERTS-1 and can suppress the contributions of true water quality factors. Band ratios, on the other hand, exhibit very little dependence on sun angle and sky conditions and thus are more directly related to water quality. Band ratio levels can be used to reliably determine suspended load. Other water quality indicators appear to have little or no affect on reflectance levels.

Yarger, H. L.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Evaluating Changes in Freshwater Health in the Tonlé Sap Basin using Remotely Sensed Data

The Tonlé Sap lake and river basin provide freshwater resources to about 4.5 million people in central Cambodia. Accelerating dam construction, intensifying agriculture, deforestation, and changing climate patterns threaten the health of the lake and the food security of nearby communities. NASA DEVELOP collaborated with Conservation International to calculate multiple components of the ecosystem vitality indicator of the Freshwater Health Index for Tonlé Sap lake from 2000 – 2020 using remote sensing. Landcover classifications, lake level altimetry, groundwater storage and nutrient flows were derived from multiple satellites including Landsat 5, Landsat 7, Landsat 8, Sentinel-2, the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM)mission, and the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE). Additionally, the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) was used to analyze nutrient flow and water quality in the basin. A breakdown in the volume and regularity of annual lake levels from 2000-2020 was observed, reflecting increased pressure on water supply and agricultural productivity. A decrease in landcover naturalness was also observed and at least 8% of forested areas in the basin were lost while rice harvest intensity increased throughout the study period. Additionally, an initial water quality analysis was demonstrated using SWAT. Continued collaboration with Conservation International and local representatives will guide the remaining water quality analyses and allow them to make informed decisions regarding freshwater management and resource allocation in the Tonlé Sap lake and river basin.

Adriana Le Compte↗
NASA NTRS1972

On multidisciplinary research on the application of remote sensing to water resources problems

This research is directed toward development of a practical, operational remote sensing water quality monitoring system. To accomplish this, five fundamental aspects of the problem have been under investigation during the past three years. These are: (1) development of practical and economical methods of obtaining, handling and analyzing remote sensing data; (2) determination of the correlation between remote sensed imagery and actual water quality parameters; (3) determination of the optimum technique for monitoring specific water pollution parameters and for evaluating the reliability with which this can be accomplished; (4) determination of the extent of masking due to depth of penetration, bottom effects, film development effects, and angle falloff, and development of techniques to eliminate or minimize them; and (5) development of operational procedures which might be employed by a municipal, state or federal agency for the application of remote sensing to water quality monitoring, including space-generated data.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1970

The role of remotely sensed and relayed data in the Delaware River Basin

A discussion is presented of the planned integration of the existing Delaware River Basin water quality monitoring and data processing systems with a data relay experiment proposed for the Earth Resources Technology Satellite (ERTS)-A, which will be launched in 1972. The experiment is designed to use ERTS-A as a data relay link for a maximum of 20 hydrologic stations in the basin, including streamgaging, reservoir level, ground water level,and water quality monitoring stations. This experiment has the potential for reducing the timelag between data collection and dissemination to less than 12 hours. At present there is a significant timelag between the time when the data are recorded at a monitoring site and the water resources agencies receive the data. The timelag exists because most of these instruments operate in remote locations without telementry, and the data records are removed manually, generally at a weekly frequency. For most water quality monitoring, the data do not reach water resources agencies for a period of 2 weeks to 2 months.

Paulson, R. W.↗
NASA NTRS2018

Prioritizing Aquatic Science and Applications Needs in the Chesapeake Bay for a Space-Borne Hyperspectral Mission

The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in North America, benefiting a growing population through its ecosystem services, fishing, recreations, and transportation routes. Studies indicate the health of the Bay as seen some improvement in recent years, yet threats to its health persist (e.g. warming, pollution nutrient run-off). Increasing human activities in coastal regions requires constant vigilance by agencies managing water quality, to ensure the safety of the population. Since April 2018, an interagency working group has been meeting monthly and a daylong workshop was convened with science and applications stakeholders around the overall theme of monitoring water quality from space. Current ocean color images indicate bloom locations used to guide in situ sampling efforts, despite limited spatial, spectral and temporal resolution. High resolution hyperspectral remote sensing provides a potential opportunity to measure additional indicators of ecological health and water quality. Assessing the needs of the aquatic user community around the Chesapeake Bay will inform science and applications recommendations during the current architecture study for a Surface Biology and Geology (SBG) Mission, as well as future scoping studies of other coastal and inland water bodies.

Schollaert Uz, Stephanie↗
NASA NTRS2020

Current and Future Remote Sensing of Harmful Algal Blooms in the Chesapeake Bay to Support the Shellfish Industry

Harmful algal bloom (HAB) species in the Chesapeake Bay can negatively impact fish, shellfish, and human health via the production of toxins and the degradation of water quality. Due to the deleterious effects of HAB species on economically and environmentally important resources, such as oyster reef systems, Bay area resource managers are seeking ways to monitor HABs and water quality at large spatial and fine temporal scales. The use of satellite ocean color imagery has proven to be a beneficial tool for resource management in other locations around the world where high-biomass, nearly monospecific HABs occur. However, remotely monitoring HABs in the Chesapeake Bay is complicated by the presence of multiple, often co-occurring, species and optically-complex waters. Here we present a summary of common marine and estuarine HAB species found in the Chesapeake Bay, Alexandrium monilatum, Karlodinium veneficum, Margalefidinium polykrikoides, and Prorocentrum minimum, that have been detected from space using multispectral data products from the Ocean and Land Color Imager (OLCI) sensor on the Sentinel-3 satellites and identified based on historic phytoplankton data, in situ sampling, and ecological associations. We review how future hyperspectral instruments will improve discrimination of potentially harmful species from other phytoplankton communities and present a framework in which satellite data products could aid Chesapeake Bay resource managers with monitoring water quality and protecting shellfish resources.

Chesapeake Bay, satellite remote sensing, harmful ↗
NASA NTRS2011

Adding Remote Sensing Data Products to the Nutrient Management Decision Support Toolbox

Some of the primary issues that manifest from nutrient enrichment and eutrophication (Figure 1) may be observed from satellites. For example, remotely sensed estimates of chlorophyll a (chla), total suspended solids (TSS), and light attenuation (Kd) or water clarity, which are often associated with elevated nutrient inputs, are data products collected daily and globally for coastal systems from satellites such as NASA s MODIS (Figure 2). The objective of this project is to inform water quality decision making activities using remotely sensed water quality data. In particular, we seek to inform the development of numeric nutrient criteria. In this poster we demonstrate an approach for developing nutrient criteria based on remotely sensed chla.

Lehrter, John↗
NASA NTRS2002

The Interaction of Spacecraft Cabin Atmospheric Quality and Water Processing System Performance

Although designed to remove organic contaminants from a variety of waste water streams, the planned U.S.- and present Russian-provided water processing systems onboard the International Space Station (ISS) have capacity limits for some of the more common volatile cleaning solvents used for housekeeping purposes. Using large quantities of volatile cleaning solvents during the ground processing and in-flight operational phases of a crewed spacecraft such as the ISS can lead to significant challenges to the water processing systems. To understand the challenges facing the management of water processing capacity, the relationship between cabin atmospheric quality and humidity condensate loading is presented. This relationship is developed as a tool to determine the cabin atmospheric loading that may compromise water processing system performance. A comparison of cabin atmospheric loading with volatile cleaning solvents from ISS, Mir, and Shuttle are presented to predict acceptable limits to maintain optimal water processing system performance.

Perry, Jay L.↗
NASA NTRS1982

The role of multispectral scanners as data sources for EPA hydrologic models

An estimated cost savings of 30% to 50% was realized from using LANDSAT-derived data as input into a program which simulates hydrologic and water quality processes in natural and man-made water systems. Data from the satellite were used in conjunction with EPA's 11-channel multispectral scanner to obtain maps for characterizing the distribution of turbidity plumes in Flathead Lake and to predict the effect of increasing urbanization in Montana's Flathead River Basin on the lake's trophic state. Multispectral data are also being studied as a possible source of the parameters needed to model the buffering capability of lakes in an effort to evaluate the effect of acid rain in the Adirondacks. Water quality in Lake Champlain, Vermont is being classified using data from the LANDSAT and the EPA MSS. Both contact-sensed and MSS data are being used with multivariate statistical analysis to classify the trophic status of 145 lakes in Illinois and to identify water sampling sites in Appalachicola Bay where contaminants threaten Florida's shellfish.

Slack, R.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Chesapeake Bay Water Resources: Examining Turbidity and Sediment Dynamics in the Chesapeake Bay

An increase in total suspended sediment (TSS) concentrations and turbidity have contributed to poor water quality in the Chesapeake Bay since the 1970s. Although turbidity and TSS have been moderately improving over the past few decades, poor water quality is detrimental to the Chesapeake Bay’s ecosystems and the surrounding watersheds. The Summer 2022 Chesapeake Bay Water Resources project observed sediment dynamics and turbidity in the York River watershed using remote sensing tools, models, and Earth observations including NASA and United States Geological Survey’s (USGS) Landsat satellite series, NASA DEVELOP’s Optical Reef Coastal Area Assessment Tool 2.0 (ORCAA), and Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT). The collaborators on this project were the Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (CBNERR), Group on Earth Observations (GEO) AquaWatch, the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites Coastal Observations, Applications, Services and Tools (CEOS COAST), and the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (VA DEQ). The team concluded that the upstream sections of the York River watershed increased in TSS from 2009–2019. However, the seasonal TSS patterns often correlated with higher precipitation levels, although not necessarily major storm events. This may be due to factors like wind and waves contributing to the sedimentation trends observed. Although projects have been conducted to improve water quality, additional efforts like planting riparian buffers along areas with high TSS are needed to reduce the intensity of runoff. The team’s results will allow the end user, the VA DEQ, to inform their policymaking regarding future Bay conservation efforts.

Katherine Hahn↗
NASA NTRS2007

Liquid Metering Centrifuge Sticks (LMCS): A Centrifugal Approach to Metering Known Sample Volumes for Colorimetric Solid Phase Extraction (C-SPE)

Phase separation is one of the most significant obstacles encountered during the development of analytical methods for water quality monitoring in spacecraft environments. Removing air bubbles from water samples prior to analysis is a routine task on earth; however, in the absence of gravity, this routine task becomes extremely difficult. This paper details the development and initial ground testing of liquid metering centrifuge sticks (LMCS), devices designed to collect and meter a known volume of bubble-free water in microgravity. The LMCS uses centrifugal force to eliminate entrapped air and reproducibly meter liquid sample volumes for analysis with Colorimetric Solid Phase Extraction (C-SPE). C-SPE is a sorption-spectrophotometric platform that is being developed as a potential spacecraft water quality monitoring system. C-SPE utilizes solid phase extraction membranes impregnated with analyte-specific colorimetric reagents to concentrate and complex target analytes in spacecraft water samples. The mass of analyte extracted from the water sample is determined using diffuse reflectance (DR) data collected from the membrane surface and an analyte-specific calibration curve. The analyte concentration can then be calculated from the mass of extracted analyte and the volume of the sample analyzed. Previous flight experiments conducted in microgravity conditions aboard the NASA KC-135 aircraft demonstrated that the inability to collect and meter a known volume of water using a syringe was a limiting factor in the accuracy of C-SPE measurements. Herein, results obtained from ground based C-SPE experiments using ionic silver as a test analyte and either the LMCS or syringes for sample metering are compared to evaluate the performance of the LMCS. These results indicate very good agreement between the two sample metering methods and clearly illustrate the potential of utilizing centrifugal forces to achieve phase separation and metering of water samples in microgravity.

Gazda, Daniel B.↗
NASA NTRS2011

NASA Water Resources Program

With increasing population pressure and water usage coupled with climate variability and change, water issues are being reported by numerous groups as the most critical environmental problems facing us in the 21st century. Competitive uses and the prevalence of river basins and aquifers that extend across boundaries engender political tensions between communities, stakeholders and countries. In addition to the numerous water availability issues, water quality related problems are seriously affecting human health and our environment. The potential crises and conflicts especially arise when water is competed among multiple uses. For example, urban areas, environmental and recreational uses, agriculture, and energy production compete for scarce resources, not only in the Western U.S. but throughout much of the U.S. and also in numerous parts of the world. Mitigating these conflicts and meeting water demands and needs requires using existing water resources more efficiently. The NASA Water Resources Program Element works to use NASA products and technology to address these critical water issues. The primary goal of the Water Resources is to facilitate application of NASA Earth science products as a routine use in integrated water resources management for the sustainable use of water. This also includes the extreme events of drought and floods and the adaptation to the impacts from climate change. NASA satellite and Earth system observations of water and related data provide a huge volume of valuable data in both near-real-time and extended back nearly 50 years about the Earth's land surface conditions such as precipitation, snow, soil moisture, water levels, land cover type, vegetation type, and health. NASA Water Resources Program works closely to use NASA and Earth science data with other U.S. government agencies, universities, and non-profit and private sector organizations both domestically and internationally. The NASA Water Resources Program organizes its projects under five functional themes. I) Streamflow and Flood Forecasting 2) Water Supply and Irrigation (includes evapotranspiration) 3) Drought 4) Water Quality 5) Climate and Water Resources. To maximize this activity NASA Water Resources Program works closely with other government agencies (e.g., the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA); the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA); the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS); the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), USAID, the Air Force Weather Agency (AFWA)), universities, non-profit national and international organizations, and the private sector. The NASA Water Resources program currently is funding 21 active projects under the functional themes (http://wmp.gsfc.nasa.gov & http://science.nasa.gov/earth-science/applied-sciences/).

Toll, David L.↗