EPA, NASA, NOAA and USGS Creating Early Warning System to Detect Harmful Algal Blooms

EPA has announced that it’s developing an early warning indicator system using historical and current satellite data to detect algal blooms.  EPA researchers will develop a mobile app to inform water quality managers of changes in water quality using satellite data on cyanobacteria algal blooms from three partnering agencies:  NASA, NOAA, and the U.S. Geological Survey.  The multi-agency project will create a reliable, standard method for identifying cyanobacteria blooms in U.S. freshwater lakes and reservoirs using ocean color satellite data.  Several satellite data sets will be evaluated against environmental data collected from these water bodies, which allows for more frequent observations over broader areas than can be achieved by taking traditional water samples.
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