A Review and Classification of the Existing Models of Cyanobacteria
On this Page
- Project Overview
- Timeline
- Components and Updates
- Contacts and Resources
CyAN Mobile Awarding
As part of this projection, EPA scientists developed the CyAN app to help local and state h2o quality managers make faster and better-informed direction decisions related to cyanobacterial blooms. The app is available as 2 versions: CyANWeb app and the CyAN Android™ app.
Acquire more about the CyAN app: CyAN app webpage
CyAN is a multi-agency project among EPA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Assistants (NOAA), and the United States Geological Survey (USGS) to develop an early on warning indicator system to find algal blooms in U.S. freshwater systems. This research supports federal, land, tribal, and local partners in their monitoring efforts to assess water quality to protect aquatic and human health.
Projection Overview
The mission of the CyAN project is to support the environmental management and public employ of U.Southward. lakes and estuaries by providing a useful and accessible approach to detecting and quantifying algal blooms and related water quality using satellite data records.
Goals
- Develop a uniform and systematic approach for identifying cyanobacteria blooms across the contiguous U.S. using sea satellites.
- Create a strategy for evaluation and refinement of algorithms across satellite platforms.
- Identify landscape linkage postulated causes of chlorophyll a and cyanobacterial blooms in freshwater systems.
- Characterize exposure and human wellness effects using ocean color satellites in drinking h2o sources and recreational waters.
- Characterize responses and economic value of an early warning organization using ocean satellites and a mobile dissemination platform.
- Disseminate satellite data through a mobile application and EnviroAtlas.
Planned Outcomes
- Create a standard and uniform arroyo for early on identification of algal blooms that is useful and attainable to stakeholders of freshwater systems using the new set of satellites: Sea Land Color Instrument (OLCI) on Picket-3, Watch-2, Landsat and future NASA missions.
- Develop an information dissemination system for expedient public wellness advisory postings.
- Ameliorate understand connections between wellness, economic, and environmental conditions to cyanobacteria and phytoplankton blooms.
Project Timeline
The CyAN project officially started October 1, 2015. It provided continental U.S. coverage using the MERIS archive from 2002-2012 in Fiscal Twelvemonth 2017. Weekly composites of the European Space Bureau Copernicus Lookout man-3 OLCI sensor data are now bachelor to collaborators for initial review and validation. Landsat surface water temperature product is now publicly bachelor through USGS EROS.
- European Space Bureau Copernicus Sentinel-3 OLCI
- USGS EROS
Project Components and Fiscal Year Updates
[Validation] [Satellite Algorithms] [Cantankerous-Satellite Platforms] [Environmental Assessment] [Human Wellness] [Economics] [Determination Back up]
Validation
In situ validation data will primarily come from our federal and land collaborators. Sources of data volition include, but are non limited to, federal, state, and local government agencies, universities, individual research groups, and published peer-reviewed journals. Minimum data reporting requirements include sample station identification, cyanobacteria counts, abundance, or phycocyanin paint concentration, latitude, longitude, depth, and date. Boosted information that are not required but are considered beneficial include chlorophyll a concentration (especially), temperature, secchi depth, turbidity, and other available water quality measures. Data sets will undergo quality review past confirming that all methods used were documented and widely accustomed.
Financial Yr 2021 Update:
We have documented the generation and distribution of consummate MEdium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) radiometric time series for over 2,000 satellite resolvable inland bodies of water across the contiguous U.South. and Alaska. This contribution should greatly increase the ease of use of satellite remote sensing data for inland water quality monitoring, as well equally encourage new horizons in inland h2o remote sensing algorithm development. Our assay quantifies the satellite algorithm'southward abilities to appraise lake trophic state beyond contiguous U.S.
Traditional methods designed to validate satellite algorithms are often inhibited by the expense of quantifying cyanobacteria indicators in the field and the lack of public data. Nevertheless, land recreation advisories and other recorded events of cyanobacteria occurrence reported past local government can provide an culling dataset for validation since they are independent and publicly available. Presence-absenteeism agreement betwixt state reported blue-green alga advisories and events were compared with cyanobacteria biomass estimated by the satellite algorithm. The satellite algorithm was then used to quantify the magnitude, spatial extent, and temporal frequency of cyanobacteria during state recreation advisories compared to non-advisory times.
Financial Year 2020 Update:
The satellite algorithm was validated for effectiveness in identifying lakes with toxin-producing blooms in 11 states across the face-to-face U.S. over xi bloom seasons. A matchup data set was created using satellite data and nearshore field-measured microcystin information every bit a proxy of cyanobacteria presence. Algorithm performance was evaluated by its power to detect cyanobacteria 'Presence' or 'Absence', where the bloom is confirmed by the presence of the microcystin
Fiscal Year 2019 Update:
A field sampling effort was undertaken in Kansas, Minnesota, North Carolina, and Wisconsin to increase the number of in situ match-ups for validating the Cyanobacteria Index algorithm. The in situ sampling suite included radiometry, phytoplankton species composition, chlorophyll, cyanotoxins, and secchi depth and resulted in at least two dozen match-ups across Sentinel-3A and –3B. The CyAN Field Integrated Exploratory Database (FIELD) is going through internal review for public release and data for the Keen Lakes is at present existence collated. The code for the CyAN FIELD tool has been provisionally released and the Land Change Monitoring, Cess, and Projection (LCMAP) product is currently beingness evaluated for consistency in a watershed in Kansas for annual landcover/country change using Landsat.
- Country Change Monitoring, Assessment, and Projection (LCMAP) production
Financial Year 2018 Update:
CyAN has adult advisable statistical metrics for satellite algorithm comparing and validation. The metrics for algorithm comparison are critical as an evaluation tool for managers interested to know which algorithms may preform best in their areas of interest. The open access CyAN Field Integrated Exploratory Lakes Database (CyAN FIELD) tool continues evolution using R-script, R-Studio, Shiny app interface to visualize and QA field and laboratory measurements for parameters relevant to validation of remote sensing products. The database has automated QA queries to avert having to manually check each record and to check for inter-parameter agreement.
Fiscal Year 2017 Update:
As seen in Effigy 1, the CyAN Field Integrated Exploratory Lakes Database (CyAN FIELD) functionality has been expanded to include integrated tools for interactive quality control and basic exploratory analysis to evaluate data trends. Automatic quality control queries have been added to evaluate internal consistency of sample location data, and that interrelated chemic, biological, and physical data are internally consequent.
Satellite Algorithms
A strategy for evaluation of algorithm updates has been established in large part through the open source availability of the NASA bounding main color processing software (l2gen) and the SeaWiFS Data Analysis System (SeaDAS). This projection will perform a complementary endeavor past using existing products for MERIS (Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer) and OLCI that have shown management value to institute algorithm development and data processing infrastructure. We propose to prefer second derivative spectral shape algorithms, which have been shown to exist robust in the presence of poor atmospheric correction. For MERIS data, the bands at 620, 665, 681, 709, and 754 nanometers are used. The Cyanobacteria Alphabetize algorithm estimates blue-green alga concentrations and the algorithm has been successfully transferred to MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer).
Fiscal Year 2021 Update:
No algorithm enhancements.
Fiscal Year 2020 Update:
Watch-3A and 3B data streams were merged together expanding the spatial and temporal coverage and thereby increasing the utility of the CyAN information product.
Fiscal Year 2019 Update:
Algorithm updates included improved quality flags for invalid pixels and atmospheric stray light (sometimes called land adjacency) and a revised land mask. The color tabular array for the standard prototype products was adapted to a perceptually uniform color based on a modified form of the viridis organisation, which is one of the default tables in python'southward matplotlib. This course also addresses colour deficiency, which is poorly handled with the "rainbow" method. CyAN now includes the add-on of Alaska to the standard processing stream, generation daily images, and true colour daily imagery for both the continental U.S. and Alaska at the asking of the states. National chlorophyll validation with in situ information from the Water Quality Portal was underway.
Fiscal Year 2018 Update:
The Sentinel-2 satellite constellation shows some potential for deriving chlorophyll a beyond lakes in the United States. Piece of work is ongoing to better understand which conditions are appropriate for use of algorithms at higher resolution scales. Flags for not-bloom, not-water weather condition are still factors limiting the MERIS and OLCI information sets. Several factors have been examined, including thin ice and atmospheric adjacency in extremely turbid atmospheres. Modifications to the flags are being adult to exclude these characteristics.
Fiscal Year 2017 Update:
Standardized algorithm intercomparison metrics have been developed and were presented and incorporated into recommendations at the biannual International Body of water Color Science squad meeting. Toxin distributions are a concern to managers, however remote sensing cannot detect toxins. A strategy for estimating toxin levels with satellite data has been identified. In addition, the relative sensitivity of phycocyanin against chlorophyll for cyanobacteria detection was adamant: ii to four times equally much phycocyanin is needed to find the same amount of cyanobacteria biomass as tin be detected with chlorophyll.
- Biannual International Ocean Colour Scientific discipline team 2017 coming together
Cross-Satellite Platforms
The reliable application of any remote-sensing algorithm over a large expanse requires a strategy for its evaluation, validation, and refinement on multiple spatial and temporal scales using field reference data. Every bit our noesis of the statistical and belittling relationships within the algorithm improve with time, successes and failures need to be understood, equally does the ongoing need for refinement of algorithm parameterizations. Using in situ data as reference and data from multiple ocean color satellite instruments, nosotros will compare (ane) model output from in situ radiometry vs. in situ metrics for blue-green alga, (2) satellite radiometry vs. in situ radiometry and model output from satellite radiometry vs. in situ metrics for blue-green alga, and (iii) model outputs from multiple satellite instruments (MERIS and Landsat).
Fiscal Yr 2020 Update:
The cross-satellite task concluded in Fiscal Year 2019.
Fiscal Year 2019 Update:
Validation of the Sentinel-2 Maximum Chlorophyll Alphabetize (MCI) is consummate. Comparison of Lookout-2 chlorophyll measurements to in situ chlorophylla measurements indicates that some error is present but that the two more often than not concord on whether concentrations are high or depression.
Fiscal Year 2018 Update:
CyAN has generated mission-long daily and weekly composites of MERIS and OLCI cyanobacteria and chlorophyll a information products for the continental U.Southward. A reprocessing of these time-serial is predictable in winter 2018. The reprocessing volition encompass updates to the algorithm, the approach for identifying mixed land-water pixels, and the land mask. Improvements have been made to the geotiff data files so metadata is now contained in the geotiff files, and the format is compatible with ArcGIS.
Fiscal Year 2017 Update:
As seen in Figure 2, CyAN generated MERIS CI composites for the full mission at 300 thousand for the full continental Usa (CONUS). Temporal scales for these composites are 14-days for 2002-2007, when MERIS CONUS coverage was incomplete, and 7-days for 2008-2012. These MERIS CI data are available for projection collaborators evaluation. As of August 30, 2017, CyAN is processing Picket-3 OLCI in forward stream.
Environmental Assessment
The Ecology Component of the CyAN projection focuses on the evaluation of the existing satellite data to document changes in country-cover composition, land-utilise activities, chlorophyll a, and cyanobacteria concentrations.
Financial Year 2021 Update:
A random wood model was used to identify major cyanobacteria drivers in 369 freshwater lakes distributed across 15 upper Midwest states during the 2011 bloom flavour (July – October).
Fiscal Yr 2020 Update:
Satellite imagery was used to assess the annual frequency of surface cyanobacterial blooms, defined for each satellite pixel as the per centum of images for that pixel throughout the twelvemonth exhibiting detectable cyanobacteria. Cyanobacterial frequency was assessed beyond >2,000 large lakes in 46 states across the continental U.S. from 2017 through electric current calendar year.
Large-scale assessment of cyanobacterial frequency and abundance of surface water near drinking water intakes was quantified across the U.s.. A subset of satellite data was compared to a subset of responses submitted every bit part of EPA's fourth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR four). These UCMR 4 qualitative responses included visual observations of algal flower presence and absence near drinking water intakes from March 2018 through November 2019. Monthly cyanobacterial abundances were used to appraise short-term trends across all resolvable drinking water sources and effect size was computed to provide insight on the number of years of data that must be obtained to increase conviction in an observed modify.
Fiscal Yr 2019 Update:
Quality assurance flags were completed for the presence of snow/ice, state-adjacency, and unresolvable waterbodies supporting water quality derived measures from Envisat MEdium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer and Sentinel-three Ocean and Land Color Musical instrument for the continental United states. In improver, an updated waterbody mask that contains valid waterbody and coastal bounding main delineation is complete. The flag dataset volition exist used in the development of national-calibration metrics for derived water quality. A method to quantify the occurrence of cyanobacterial blooms across lakes has been adult.
Fiscal Yr 2018 Update:
Methods to quantify the frequency, extent and magnitude of cyanobacteria in satellite resolvable lakes across the U.Southward. have been adult. Random forest models have been used to generate landscape variable importance metrics and a Classification and Regression Tree (CART) algorithm to visualize the important associations between the height drivers and blue-green alga. The study investigated numerous physiographic and anthropogenic factors of lakes and their watersheds; >300 lakes across the Midwest and Northeast were included.
Fiscal Year 2017 Update:
An arroyo for identifying lakes that can be resolved past any satellite given different pixel resolutions has been defined, and a method to quantify the frequency of bloom occurrence in recreational and surface drinking water sites has been adult. A method for examining temporal changes in cyanobacteria harmful algal bloom spatial extent for state level assessment, transferable to different spatial areas was also developed.
- Arroyo for identifying resolvable lakes
- Method to quantify flower frequency
- Method for examining temporal changes
Human Health
Remote sensing of cyanobacteria blooms offers a unique opportunity to gauge human exposure to cyanotoxins over specific geographic areas. The health of those communities with a past history of cyanobacteria blooms detected via satellite may be evaluated retrospectively by the analysis of existing health records.
Fiscal Yr 2020 Update:
The objective of this written report was to evaluate if cyanobacterial blooms were associated with increased emergency room visits for gastrointestinal, respiratory and dermal illnesses. Time to come studies will require straight measures of cyanotoxins and wellness furnishings associated with exposure to blue-green alga-impacted drinking water sources. The human being health work was concluded in Financial Year 2020.
Fiscal Twelvemonth 2019 Update:
Epidemiological studies on the association betwixt cyanobacterial blooms in drinking water sources and human health outcomes are scarce. CyAN evaluated if satellite derived cyanobacterial blooms were associated with increased medical visits for a express example study.
Fiscal Year 2018 Update:
The CyAN team has analyzed wellness data from a prospective epidemiology study at a Bully Lakes Beach, along with retrospective satellite imagery of the near shore water during the written report menses. Nosotros estimated participant exposure during the study flow and evaluated health effects afterward exposure to water during remotely sensed blooms.
Fiscal Year 2017 Update:
Analysis of a study of human health effects associated with exposure to recreational water at a Keen Lakes beach is underway. Although this prospective epidemiology study was conducted in 2003, for this projection, we retrospectively evaluated beachgoer'due south potential exposure to phytoplankton using two different remote sensing methods: the MODIS ocean chlorophyll a (OC4) algorithm and the MERIS cyanobacteria index (CI).
Economics
Beyond the U.S., many states are developing programs to monitor flower events. Nonetheless, monitoring tin be expensive, takes fourth dimension, and results are often not available in enough fourth dimension for direction decisions. Automated detection of events based on remote sensing has the potential to improve the quality and timing of HAB-related data commitment to those who need information technology. The costs associated with monitoring algal blooms, and the economical value of early flower upshot detection using remote sensing information are being identified.
Fiscal Year 2020 Update:
Quantitation of the man health benefits of using satellite data to detect cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms and manage recreational advisories in Utah Lake was finalized and published. The value of satellite remote sensing to monitor chlorophyll-a for U.S. lakes and reservoirs was finalized and published. The economics work was concluded in Fiscal Year 2020.
Fiscal Year 2019 Update:
Economic assay for the health advisory and monitoring studies are complete. The annual potential avoided costs associated with increasing the availability of remotely sensed chlorophylla values were estimated depending upon the satellite program used. This assay underscored the importance of connected support for both field-based in situ monitoring and satellite sensor programs that provide complementary data to water quality managers, given increased challenges associated with eutrophication, nuisance, and HAB events.
Fiscal Year 2018 Update:
CyAN is working with the Valuables Consortium to estimate the value of the socioeconomic benefits of having satellite imagery available for detecting algal blooms. CyAN is too comparing the spatial and temporal extent of chlorophyll a measurements bachelor from two satellite platforms (Lookout-three & Landsat) and in situ water quality monitoring datasets. Equally part of this analysis, the value added of in situ sampling is compared to the expenditures required to shop, manage, and make satellite-derived information available.
- Valuables Consortium
Fiscal Twelvemonth 2017 Update:
CyAN quantified the benefits of using remote sensing and field-based monitoring data to detect chlorophyll a equally a general indicator of harmful algal blooms. This effort investigates the spatial and temporal coverage of both satellite and field based observations across U.s.a. lakes and potential costs and trade-offs. This work examines the extent of chlorophyll a observations across the CONUS for both the Landsat (OLI) and Sentinel 3 (OLCI) satellites and makes comparisons with the spatial and temporal extent of existing national programs collecting in situ field observations of chlorophyll a.
Decision Support
Satellite data that is attainable to scientists is not typically processed and delivered to the public in a manner that demonstrates its applied value to daily life. The CyAN Android™ mobile application is the outset platform for firsthand decision support. The 2d platform is the EnviroAtlas for longer-term trend analysis. Additional software packages for information analysis include RS Tools for GIS and the open source SeaDAS software.
Fiscal Twelvemonth 2021 Update:
The CyAN web app was publicly released in July 2021. The CyAN scientific discipline team has publicly released the satellite information gear up. NASA too now provides an inland h2o information set. The Alaska land mask was updated in collaboration with Region 10 to resolve more lakes within the country.
CyAN Satellite Data Gear up
NASA Inland Water Data Prepare
Financial Yr 2020 Update:
Newly pre-recorded webinar trainings were developed and hosted for remote learning access based on additional requests for grooming through EPA Regional Offices, Office of Water, and ORD's Tools and Resources Training Webinar Series, due to the new reality of express field sampling during pandemic. The CyAN web app underwent beta testing and technical review. Webinar trainings were recorded for remote access provided to EPA and state partners during the COVID-19 pandemic.
CyAN scientists worked with the Earth Wellness Organization on including satellite remote sensing methods into the 2nd edition of Toxic cyanobacteria in water and the Interstate Applied science and Regulatory Council Strategies for Preventing and Managing Harmful Cyanobacterial Blooms.
Fiscal Twelvemonth 2019 Update:
The CyAN Android mobile app was publicly released in July 2019. Webinar trainings were provided to EPA and state partners on ArcGIS RS Tools, SeaDAS, mobile application, and version two of the CyAN data. The CyAN project currently supports 33 states with the addition of Alaska.
Fiscal Year 2018 Update:
The mobile app continued beta testing with collaborators, such as validating against 25 state health advisories issued in 2017 across seven states. CyAN continues to work with several states, localities, and various organizations such as California Water Board, Army Corps of Engineers, and non-profits. We have also evaluated a new colour bar for use with imagery in response to requests from numerous collaborators. The standard rainbow has been recognized equally having several deficiencies. A new colormap, based on the python default "viridis" colormap, is perceptually uniform, and more than suitable for those with cerise-green color blindness. Trainings on SeaDAS, ArcGIS RS Tools, and the app were held in Apr-May 2018 and planned again for 2019. A successful outreach effort called Sippin'on Science had ten public events throughout the upper Midwest lakes region combined easily-on science with a presentation about the projection'south local relevance.
Fiscal Yr 2017 Update:
The CyAN Scientific discipline team held multiple training sessions in FY17. The first session was an introduction to SeaDAS for state and federal stakeholders, the 2nd was an introduction to the RSTools toolkit for ArcGIS and basics of the products being produced through the project. A smaller-scale preparation was held for collaborators asked to beta exam the CyAN mobile application. RSTools, the package for ArcGIS, was modified to back up both NASA and NOAA naming conventions for MERIS and OLCI. It supports Sentinel-3A, as well as Envisat (MERIS) and MODIS. RSTools allows calculation of all composites and extraction of fourth dimension series information for point and shape polygons by any agency using ArcGIS. The CyAN mobile app is operational and providing weekly OLCI data for the CONUS to collaborators. Information technology is currently available to any state regulatory agency or health department for beta testing (see "Project Contacts" beneath).
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Contacts and Resources
Contacts and Technical Assistance
- For comments or questions, contact u.s. nigh the CyAN Project.
- Leads for each Agency: Blake Schaeffer (EPA), Jeremy Werdell (NASA), Keith Loftin (USGS), and Richard Stumpf (NOAA)
Resources
Journal Manufactures
- The MERIS time serial and application for chlorophyll-a (2021)
- Planning monitoring programmes for cyanobacteria and cyanotoxins (2021)
- Assessing cyanobacterial frequency and abundance at surface waters near drinking water intakes beyond the United States (2021)
- Satellite remote sensing to assess cyanobacterial bloom frequency across the United States at multiple spatial scales (2021)
- Astute wellness effects associated with satellite-determined cyanobacterial blooms in a drinking water source in Massachusetts (2021)
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Quantifying the Human Health Benefits of Using Satellite Information to Detect Cyanobacterial Harmful Algal Blooms and Manage Recreational Advisories in US Lakes (2020)
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Exploring the potential value of satellite remote sensing to monitor chlorophyll-a for The states lakes and reservoirs (2020)
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Evaluation of a satellite-based cyanobacteria flower detection algorithm using field-measured Microcystin data (2020)
- Quantifying national and regional cyanobacterial occurrence in United states lakes using satellite remote sensing (2020)
- Satellite resolvable estuaries within the continental United States (2020)
- Envisat MERIS and Lookout-3 OLCI Satellite lake water quality flags for the contiguous United States (2020)
- Satellite detected cyanobacteria in large U.Southward. lakes on your Android phone (2019)
- Ocean Colour: current condition and hereafter perspective(2019)
- Measurement of cyanobacterial bloom magnitude using satellite remote sensing (2019)
- Towards a satellite-based monitoring system for water quality (2018)
- Extending century-long monitoring of global h2o clarity to the future (2018)
- Mobile device application for monitoring cyanobacteria HABs using Lookout man-3 satellite Bounding main and Land Colour Instruments (2018)
- Evaluation of RapidEye data for mapping algal blooms in inland waters(2018)
- An initial validation of Landsat 5 and 7 derived surface h2o temperature for U.S. lakes, reservoirs, and estuaries (2018)
- Performance metrics for the assessment of satellite information products: an bounding main color case study (2018)
- Monitoring algal blooms in drinking water reservoirs using the Landsat-eight Operational State Imager (2018)
- Satellite monitoring of cyanobacterial HAB frequency in recreational waters and drinking source waters with satellites (2017)
- A method for examining temporal changes in cyanobacteria HAB spatial extent using satellite remote sensing (2017)
- Challenges for mapping cyanotoxin patterns from remote sensing of cyanobacteria (2016)
- Forecasting annual cyanobacterial blossom biomass to inform management decisions in Lake Erie(2016)
- Evaluation of time-series smoothing algorithms for land-cover classifications using MODIS-NDVI multi-temporal data (2016)
- Evaluation of cyanobacteria cell count detection derived from MERIS imagery across the eastern United states (2015)
- A satellite perspective to monitor water quality using your mobile phone(2015)
- Agencies interact, develop a Cyanobacteria Assessment Network (CyAN) (2015)
Related Resources
- Strategies for Preventing and Managing Harmful Cyanobacterial Blooms: Monitoring
- Nitrogen and Co-Pollutants Enquiry Roadmap FY16 Annual Study
- Research Program Overview 2016-2019 (p. 15)
Source: https://www.epa.gov/water-research/cyanobacteria-assessment-network-cyan