eo - national - stereo success story

© RBINS, BELSPO Space Applications Day, 19th June 2014

Applications of optical remote sensing in coastal waters

Presented by Kevin RUDDICK (RBINS)


Remote Sensing: What is ocean colour?

Phaeocystis spp.

[F. Jouenne]

[R. Mendes]

Chaetoceros spp.

[J-P. Vogt]

Suspended Particulate Matter

MERIS 2003ave

Chlorophyll a 0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

400 500 600 700 800

Wavelength (nm)

Ab

so

rpti

on

(/m

)

no

rma

lis

ed

at

50

0n

m

Diatom

Phaeocystis

Non Algae Particle

[R. Astoreca]

© RBINS, BELSPO Space Applications Day, 19th June 2014Oudenburg, 25th May 2011

“What’s in the water”?(How much information can we extract?)

• Mass concentration of particles?

• Size distribution of particles?

• Algal or non-algal?

• What species of algae?

• How much carbon is it fixing/day?

• Dissolved CO2 concentration?

• Conc/typ of Dissolved organic matter?

• How transparent?

+ space-time variation (and cause/effect)

BUT

• Viewing through atmosphere

• And through a reflective sea surface

• Possibly also viewing sea bottom

Sediment

transport

Ecosystem

dynamics

(phytoplankton)

Carbon cycle

Water quality

(EU monitoring)

Marine science

(inc. benthos)

Applications


Reporting water quality to EU

CHLa 90 percentile (MERIS,2005)

Belgian CHLa 90% Mar-Oct 2005-2010,

Water Framework Directive product

[Processing: D. Vanderzande, RBINS;

L2 data ESA/ACRI]

Remote sensing is neutral, transparent, and spatially extensive (cross-boundary)

• Satellite-based eutrophication assessment service (EU Water Framework Directive, MSFD)


Algal bloom timing in the North Sea

MAR APR MAY

1. Early blooms in Norwegian coastal current, central North Sea

2. Late blooms in turbid water in east UK coast, German bight, western channel

=>Significant spatial and interannual variabilities in the North Sea

International Council

of the Seas fisheries

working groups

[Park et al, Int. J. Rem Sens. 2011]


19th January 2009BELCOLOUR … International

BELCOLOUR-ARGentina project => testing and adaptation of BELCOLOUR

algorithms to other regions

La Plata turbidity mapping [Dogliotti et al, 2011] … relevance for

fisheries? Dredging? Drinking water supply?

300km


Total Suspended Matter (g/m3)

Research: Geostationary ocean colour

• What is the main obstacle to operational applications of ocean colour remote sensing?

MERIS

21.6.2006

(10:05 UTC)

Belgium

CLOUDS!

-

52°N

-

51°N

1°E 4°E


Tidal variability of turbidity

[Neukermans et al, Rem Sens Env, 2012; Neukermans, PhD, 2012]

TURBIDITY

© RBINS, BELSPO Space Applications Day, 19th June 2014[Neukermans et al, 2012; Neukermans, 2012]

SEVIRI

In situ

MODIS

TURBIDITY

Tidal variability of turbidity


SEVIRI daily composite of 34 images

Quasi cloudfreeMODIS: 1 image

60% clouded

remotely sensed ( ) vs. in-situ ( , ) diurnal variability of turbidity

SBmaxT

t(Tmax)

t( )

[Neukermans et al, 2012; Neukermans, 2012]

SEVIRI

In situ

MODIS

TURBIDITY


Online time-series extraction tool

“SNC” region

SeaWiFS/MODIS/MERIS

1997 – 2012 archive

Remote Sensing support for marine scientists

http://www2.mumm.ac.be/remsem/timeseries/

[Vanhellemont and Ruddick, 2011]

CHL

Total Suspended matter

1997 2011

Spring blooms

Winter storms

• Environmental baseline for offshore wind farms

• Input to mussel growth models

• Context for marine benthos (bottom animals) studies

• Real time support for Belgica cruises

• Optimisation of diving operations, etc. etc.


Offshore Environmental Impact Assessment

Sediment wakes in

direction of tidal

current [(c) RBINS,

J-P. Vogt]

Environmental Impacts

Assessment

legal obligation for offshore

wind farm construction

LANDSAT-8 and high spatial resolution

=> new Environmental Impacts visible

[Vanhellemont & Ruddick K (2014). Turbid wakes associated with offshore wind

turbines observed with Landsat 8. Remote Sensing of Environment, 145, pp. 105–

115. Open Access]


Landsat-8 30.10.2013

[Vanhellemont Q. & Ruddick K. (2014). Landsat-8 as a Precursor to Sentinel-2: Observations of Human Impacts

in Coastal Waters. In: Proceedings of the Sentinel-2 for Science Workshop ESA Special Publication SP-726]

Dredging operations and dumping of sediments

Dredging ship

(AIS-identified)

Black sediment

wake

Port discharge

Spuikom

(tourism,

aquaculture)

[JP. Vogt, RBINS,

28.1.2014]


Future: ZOOZOOM proposal (RBINS, VITO, VLIZ, Umons)

[Dredgingtoday.com]

In/Out Water and Sediment

flux (and jellyfish … ?)

Black (anoxic?)

sedimentsShips and wakes

Bird sanctuary

+Around port:

Beach change and tourism

Dumped WWI munitions

[© RBINS, A. Norro]

Very high

resolution

Remote sensing

of marine

animals (whales,

jellyfish, etc.)


Conclusions• Optical Remote Sensing applications in coastal

waters:

– Water quality monitoring: algal blooms, turbidity

– Sediment transport: dredging, offshore constructions

– Support for marine science and modelling

• The future:– Higher temporal resolution: from 1/day to every 2.5 mins

– Affordable Higher spatial resolution: Landsat-8, Pléiades, Sentinel-2

– Belgium now has a leading R&D position for optical remote sensing of coastal waters


Acknowledgements• Acknowledgments:

– BELSPO STEREO programme, esp. BELCOLOUR-2 project (RBINS, VITO, ULB, Ulg, CSIRO-Aus, LOV-Fr)

– ESA GMES Services Element MARCOAST project

– NASA for MODIS and SeaWiFS data

– ESA for MERIS data

– USGS for Landsat-8 data

– EUMETSAT/RMI for SEVIRI data

• More information and publications:– http://www2.mumm.ac.be/remsem/publications.php

– http://www.mumm.ac.be/BELCOLOUR/EN/Publications/index.php (to 2012)

http://www2.mumm.ac.be/remsem/publications.php

http://www.mumm.ac.be/BELCOLOUR/EN/Publications/index.php

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