13 results for group: monitoring
by Leah Hicks, NALMS Community-Based Science Intern
With the occurrence of harmful cyanobacteria blooms (HCBs) increasing throughout the world, it is of the utmost importance to increase community awareness about water safety when cyanobacteria are present. Cyanobacteria, commonly referred to as blue-green algae, are small bacteria found in waterbodies throughout the world. They are some of the earth’s oldest living organisms. When some cyanobacteria are found in high concentrations they form blooms, which are characterized by a discoloration of the water (often green/blue green, but these harmful blooms can also be red, brown, yellow, or ...
California has funded the San Francisco Estuary Institute to develop an interactive Satellite Analysis Tool to characterize the seasonality, spatial distribution, and development of harmful algal blooms in 250 of the state’s largest waterbodies. This tool provides a spatial display of cyanobacteria blooms, easy to understand charts that let you see long-term and short-term trends.
Water quality managers need access to current, inexpensive and quality data to protect water resources. To assist in the proactive management of cyanoHAB events, EPA researchers, along with researchers from NASA, NOAA, and the USGS have developed a time-efficient way to use satellite data in monitoring for cyanoHAB events to help protect recreational and drinking water sources.
]In this article, we share the development of the Lake Champlain cyanobacteria monitoring program and the current design. Its citizen-supported sustainable approach is now applied statewide in Vermont and may be a useful example for others looking to develop a cyanobacteria monitoring program.
The Cyanobacteria Monitoring Collaborative monitoring activities are carried out under three different program “tiers” that represent different monitoring objectives and complexity. Regardless of the level of expertise involved, all three programs (bloomWatch, cyanoScope, and cyanoMonitoring), in addition to professional monitoring entities, leverage the collection of data by crowdsourcing and citizen science.
Unfortunately, for many lakes, long-term monitoring information on bloom history, productivity and nutrient levels, water column temperature, and other factors that may contribute to algal bloom formation often only exist for the last few years, if at all. Paleolimnology offers valuable insights into past environmental conditions to improve our understanding of current lake management issues.
Increased frequency and severity of cyanobacterial blooms suggests that toxins are a threat that must be taken seriously. However, not all cyanobacteria are toxic – so how can we know which blooms pose a health risk? We developed both now- casting and forecasting approaches based on a nine-year data set of microcystin concentrations collected biweekly from Buffalo Pound during summer months
The Phytoplankton Monitoring Network is a collaborative “citizen science” program. It allows volunteers across the country to work with NOAA scientists in the study and identification of potentially harmful phytoplankton. A smart phone application, Phyto, helps volunteers learn to identify phytoplankton and as a reference guide to use when analyzing a sample.
The CyAN app uses satellite-derived information from the European Space Agency (ESA), NASA and the USGS to help make initial water quality assessments and quickly alert managers to potential problems and emerging threats. With the CyAN mobile app, water quality managers will have a user- friendly application that will reduce the complexities associated with harnessing satellite data to make fast, efficient initial assessments.
The New England region realized that coordinated efforts between grassroots organizations, resource management agencies, and research institutions were needed to regularly monitor for cyanobacteria and the nutrients that contribute to blooms.
