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Application of Remote Sensing and GIS in Aquatic Ecosystems

A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Water Quality and Contamination".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2019) | Viewed by 21751

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Institute for Electromagnetic Sensing of the Environment (CNR-IREA), National Research Council of Italy, Via Corti 12, 20133 Milan, Italy
Interests: optical remote sensing; water quality and monitoring; cyanobacteria; macrophyte; shallow and deep lakes; calibration/validation
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Guest Editor
University of Stirling, United Kingdom
Interests: His research is primarily focused on remote sensing of aquatic systems (including lakes, estuaries, coastal zones and open seas) in the context of environmental change, scientific/technological innovation and integration into strategies and approaches to environmental management and sustainable development.
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Guest Editor
Eawag - Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland
Interests: synoptic limnology; ambient water quality; optical properties of surface waters; water extent mapping; remote sensing

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Aquatic ecosystems are indispensable suppliers of biodiversity and ecological productivity and they provide a multitude of services for human populations. Hence, the quantity and quality of water resources are essential prerequisites for ecological stability and human development. The Sustainable Development Goals and other political frameworks underpin the growing importance of water resource management worldwide, including monitoring and protection, as water consumption increases.Dedicated satellite constellations and ground sampling techniques have grown considerably in recent years, providing strong leverage to meet this requirement. Their effective use requires progress in signal interpretation, data assimilation and analysis techniques, and the advancement of open data and software conventions for geospatial information and related tools. As these technologies mature, they must stand the test of specific operational user requirements such as spatio-temporal resolution, robustness, interpretability and generalization. This Special Issue focusing on “Application of Remote Sensing and GIS in Aquatic Ecosystems” is specifically aimed at addressing: 1) an overview of the use of remote sensing and GIS for monitoring rivers, reservoirs, lakes, coastal waters and wetlands; and 2) research challenges and opportunities for achieving a better understanding of aquatic ecosystems using remote sensing and GIS.

Dr. Mariano Bresciani
Dr. Evangelos Spyrakos
Dr. Daniel Odermatt
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • River, reservoir, lake and coastal water monitoring
  • Climate change impacts
  • Water resources management
  • Mapping and spatial analysis from satellite and airborne data
  • Time series analysis
  • Algal bloom detection and management
  • Integration of in situ and remotely-sensed data
  • Products from optical, thermal, SAR, and radar altimetry data

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

24 pages, 2196 KiB  
Article
Pseudo-nitzschia Blooms in a Coastal Upwelling System: Remote Sensing Detection, Toxicity and Environmental Variables
by Jesus M. Torres Palenzuela, Luis González Vilas, Francisco M. Bellas, Elina Garet, África González-Fernández and Evangelos Spyrakos
Water 2019, 11(9), 1954; https://doi.org/10.3390/w11091954 - 19 Sep 2019
Cited by 28 | Viewed by 6364
Abstract
The NW coast of the Iberian Peninsula is dominated by extensive shellfish farming, which places this region as a world leader in mussel production. Harmful algal blooms in the area frequent lead to lengthy harvesting closures threatening food security. This study developed a [...] Read more.
The NW coast of the Iberian Peninsula is dominated by extensive shellfish farming, which places this region as a world leader in mussel production. Harmful algal blooms in the area frequent lead to lengthy harvesting closures threatening food security. This study developed a framework for the detection of Pseudo-nitzschia blooms in the Galician rias from satellite data (MERIS full-resolution images) and identified key variables that affect their abundance and toxicity. Two events of toxin-containing Pseudo-nitzschia were detected (up to 2.5 μg L−1 pDA) in the area. This study suggests that even moderate densities of Pseudo-nitzschia in this area might indicate high toxin content. Empirical models for particulate domoic acid (pDA) were developed based on MERIS FR data. The resulting remote-sensing model, including MERIS bands centered around 510, 560, and 620 nm explain 73% of the pDA variance (R2 = 0.73, p < 0.001). The results show that higher salinity values and lower Si(OH)4/N ratios favour higher Pseudo-nitzschia spp. abundances. High pDA values seem to be associated with relatively high PO43, low NO3 concentrations, and low Si(OH)4/N. While MERIS FR data and regionally specific algorithms can be useful for detecting Pseudo-nitzschia blooms, nutrient relationships are crucial for predicting the toxicity of these blooms. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Remote Sensing and GIS in Aquatic Ecosystems)
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19 pages, 5992 KiB  
Article
Monitoring Coastal Lagoon Water Quality through Remote Sensing: The Mar Menor as a Case Study
by Manuel Erena, José A. Domínguez, Felipe Aguado-Giménez, Juan Soria and Sandra García-Galiano
Water 2019, 11(7), 1468; https://doi.org/10.3390/w11071468 - 15 Jul 2019
Cited by 40 | Viewed by 8900
Abstract
The Mar Menor is a hypersaline coastal lagoon located in the southeast of Spain. This fragile ecosystem is suffering several human pressures, such as nutrient and sediment inputs from agriculture and other activities and decreases in salinity. Therefore, the development of an operational [...] Read more.
The Mar Menor is a hypersaline coastal lagoon located in the southeast of Spain. This fragile ecosystem is suffering several human pressures, such as nutrient and sediment inputs from agriculture and other activities and decreases in salinity. Therefore, the development of an operational system to monitor its evolution is crucial to know the cause-effect relationships and preserve the natural system. The evolution and variability of the turbidity and chlorophyll-a levels in the Mar Menor water body were studied here through the joint use of remote sensing techniques and in situ data. The research was undertaken using Operational Land Imager (OLI) images on Landsat 8 and two SPOT images, because cloudy weather prevented the use of OLI images alone. This provided the information needed to perform a time series analysis of the lagoon. We also analyzed the processes that occur in the salt lagoon, characterizing the different spatio-temporal patterns of biophysical parameters. Special attention was given to the role of turbidity and chlorophyll-a levels in the Mar Menor ecosystem with regard to the programs of integral management of this natural space that receives maximum environmental protection. The objective of the work has been fulfilled by answering the questions of the managers: when did the water quality in the Mar Menor begin to change? What is happening in the lagoon? Is remote sensing useful for monitoring the water quality in the Mar Menor? The answers to these questions have allowed the generation of a methodology and monitoring system to track the water quality in the Mar Menor in real-time and space. The tracking system using satellite images is open to the incorporation of images provided by new multispectral sensors. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Remote Sensing and GIS in Aquatic Ecosystems)
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14 pages, 11715 KiB  
Article
Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Submerged Aquatic Vegetation in a Deep Lake from Sentinel-2 Data
by Nicola Ghirardi, Rossano Bolpagni, Mariano Bresciani, Giulia Valerio, Marco Pilotti and Claudia Giardino
Water 2019, 11(3), 563; https://doi.org/10.3390/w11030563 - 18 Mar 2019
Cited by 23 | Viewed by 4836
Abstract
We mapped the extent of submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) of Lake Iseo (Northern Italy, over the 2015–2017 period based on satellite data (Sentinel 2 A-B) and in-situ measurements; the objective was to investigate its spatiotemporal variability. We focused on the southern sector of [...] Read more.
We mapped the extent of submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) of Lake Iseo (Northern Italy, over the 2015–2017 period based on satellite data (Sentinel 2 A-B) and in-situ measurements; the objective was to investigate its spatiotemporal variability. We focused on the southern sector of the lake, the location of the shallowest littorals and the most developed macrophyte communities, mainly dominated by Vallisneria spiralis and Najas marina. The method made use of both in-situ measurements and satellite data (22 Sentinel 2 A-B images) that were atmospherically corrected with 6SV code and processed with the BOMBER (Bio-Optical Model-Based tool for Estimating water quality and bottom properties from Remote sensing images). This modeling system was used to estimate the different substrate coverage (bare sediment, dense stands of macrophytes with high albedo, and sparse stand of macrophytes with low albedo). The presented results substantiate the existence of striking inter- and intra-annual variations in the spatial-cover patterns of SAV. Intense uprooting phenomena were also detected, mainly affecting V. spiralis, a species generally considered a highly plastic pioneer taxon. In this context, remote sensing emerges as a very reliable tool for mapping SAV with satisfactory accuracy by offering new perspectives for expanding our comprehension of lacustrine macrophyte dynamics and overcoming some limitations associated with traditional field surveys. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Remote Sensing and GIS in Aquatic Ecosystems)
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