Satellite Earth Image Products Applied to Development of Regulatory Water Quality Standards
Investigators: John Lehrter (PI, EPA),
Bruce Spiering (NASA/Stennis), Slawomir Blonski (SSAI), Kenton Ross (SSAI),
Blake Schaeffer (EPA), James Hagey (EPA), William Fisher (EPA), Marc Russell (EPA)
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Abstract
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All water bodies in the United States, including coastal zones, are protected by the Clean Water Act (CWA).
Under this federal mandate and with guidance from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), States and
Territories are required to protect aquatic resources using water quality standards that ensure physical,
chemical, and biological integrity. Estuarine and coastal regions of the Gulf of Mexico are major ecological
and economic resources and, within these regions, submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) and coral reefs are
keystone communities that provide habitat for harvestable fish and invertebrates, regulate water clarity,
and protect shorelines from erosion. Because both communities rely on photosynthesis, protective water quality
standards must incorporate water clarity, which varies with phytoplankton concentration (chlorophyll a),
total suspended matter (TSM), and colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM). Light attenuation (loss of light, Kd)
is partly attributable to land-based anthropogenic activities, particularly watershed discharge of sediments,
CDOM, and nutrients that spur phytoplankton growth. Excess chlorophyll a and TSM have other deleterious effects,
most notably as contributors to hypoxia. A better understanding of the causes and both short- and long-term
effects of increased Kd, chlorophyll a, TSM, and CDOM is needed at regional scales to develop protective
standards for these valued ecosystems. The goal of this proposal is to inform decision-making activities
(water quality standards) using remotely sensed water quality data (Kd, chlorophyll a, TSM, and CDOM)
from NASA Earth science platforms (MODIS and Landsat).
The project will (1) assess short-term and long-term averages and trends in remotely sensed
water quality constituents (1980s to present); and (2) analyze the data products in comparison
to changes in the extent and condition of SAV and coral reef habitat (1980s to present).
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NASA Products
MODIS, Landsat
Project Partners
EPA
Decision Support Tools
water quality standards of the Clean Water Act
Reports
