CSIRO’s experience

CSIRO has a vast experience in observing the land and studying coastal waters, with a special interest in harmful algal blooms. Among its most relevant projects we can mention:

HABs remote sensing system

This project was developed as a rapid response to the 2016 HAB events for Sernapesca and focuses on the development of an analytical and information system to evaluate HAB events based on remote detection. An initial interactive and intuitive mapping and visualization tool, almost in real time, was developed that allows to quickly assess the training potential of HAB. The delivered products include:

• MODIS Aqua True Color Corrected Reflectance Information
• VIIRS True Color Corrected Reflectance Information
• MODIS Chlorophyll Information
• GHRSST Sea Surface Temperature Information

Online dashboard and intuitive web page for mapping and viewing satellite images

 

Tools that allow real color information to highlight algae blooms

HAB early warning for New South Wales

 

This is a collaborative project delivered in 2014, for an Early Warning System that uses remote sensing analysis in near real time for HABs that affect inland waters and reservoirs, supporting monitoring and environmental and sanitary health programs in the State of New South Wales, Australia.

This satellite tool was built on the Australian Geoscience Data Cube (AGDC), using (Sentinel 2 and Landsat 8 for high-resolution, wide-scale observation and frequent monitoring of water quality in inland water bodies. Through the visualization interface, the results can be reviewed by water managers at:

1. State level to generate a quick joint state overview of algae alert states, or
   At the scale of individual water bodies, to allow the determination of the spatial dynamics of flowering.
2. Current information can be displayed alongside historical information, allowing recent information to be contextualized in the long term.

Read more: https://research.csiro.au/mwe/harmful-algal-blooms-and-remote-sensing/

Alexandrium – Dynamics and Aquaculture in Tasmania

This project was triggered by a toxic dinoflagellate bloom along Tasmania’s east coast in October 2012, resulting in losses of $23M to the Tasmanian economy. The project investigated the influences of meteorological and oceanographic conditions on the development of toxic dinoflagellate species blooms, Alexandrium tamarense, in eastern Tasmania. The results present a significant advance towards the prediction of the development of ANFs in this region. A key deliverable was the development, testing and calibration of rapid toxin detection tests as on-site tools to manage shellfish production (eg: avoid toxicity of the oyster stock) and create large cost reductions for the Tasmanian Shellfish Quality Assurance Program (TSQAP), reducing the submission of non-toxic samples to expensive high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis in Sydney (7-10 day return). This work allowed limiting the complete closure of fishing areas, significantly reducing the risk of unsafe products in local and export markets, and thus enhancing the reputation of the Australian seafood industry.

eReefs – Coastal Information System for the Great Barrier Reef

The eReefs proyect began in January 2012 and is a six-year, $30 million collaborative project between the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, CSIRO, the Australian Institute of Marine Sciences, the Bureau of Meteorology and the Government of Queensland. It aims to develop a comprehensive coastal information system covering basins, estuaries, the reef lagoon, and the open ocean. The system provides information on physical processes, sediment transport, biogeochemistry and ocean color using satellites and brings together data collection and new early warning and simulation models to support visualization and reporting tools.

For this project, a regional adjustment of the chlorophyll-a algorithms was performed to provide more accurate data in optically complex coastal waters of the Great Barrier Reef compared to standard products provided by space agencies. In-situ measurements of the inherent optical properties of the Great Barrier Reef were used to develop a regional parameterization of a physics-based inversion model for satellite ocean color observations.

Workflow diagram showing the main processing stages of the eReefs Ocean Color component to extract the water quality from the MODIS satellite observations and its provision to the marine water quality control dashboard

Publications