NASA’s Applied Remote Sensing Training Program (ARSET) has opened a new open, online webinar series: Monitoring Coastal and Estuarine Water Quality: Transitioning from MODIS to VIIRS.
This 3-part training will be delivered in English and Spanish and will provide an overview of recent satellites and sensors used for extending the long-term water quality time series, point out similarities and differences between MODIS and VIIRS, and demonstrate water quality monitoring procedures using these sensors in selected coastal and estuarine regions.
If you would like to join us or pass along to colleagues who will find it useful, please do so. Please see the training details and registration information below.
Monitoring Coastal and Estuarine Water Quality: Transitioning from MODIS to VIIRS
Estuaries are water bodies where freshwater from rivers and streams meets with seawater. Coastal and estuarine waters are important to humans as they are highly productive habitats supporting a variety of fish and wildlife. These environments also provide resources, economic benefits, and ecosystem services. That being said, the water quality of these coastal and estuarine areas is of great importance. This is heavily influenced by the flow of nutrients and sediment from land-based sources. The flow of nitrogen and phosphorus in particular enhances algal bloom and hypoxia in the water, highly affecting benthic creatures like fish, shellfish, and crustaceans. Water quality in estuaries also depends on several factors such as their size, location, coastal land use, quality of freshwater runoff, and tidal effects from the sea.
Remote sensing observations from Aqua/MODIS have enabled us to monitor coastal and estuarine water quality since mid-2000. As MODIS nears the end of its mission, it is important to transition to VIIRS (first launched in 2011) to provide continuity with the MODIS instrument and add to the moderate-resolution, long-term data record of water quality monitoring in estuaries. This intermediate-level webinar will provide an overview of recent satellites and sensors used for extending the MODIS long-term water quality time series, specifically focusing on VIIRS image processing using the NASA Ocean Color software, SeaDAS. This webinar will point out similarities and differences between MODIS and VIIRS and demonstrate water quality monitoring procedures using these sensors in selected coastal and estuarine regions.
Relevant UN Sustainable Development Goal:
- Goal 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
- Target 14.2: By 2020, sustainably manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems to avoid significant adverse impacts, including by strengthening their resilience, and take action for their restoration in order to achieve healthy and productive oceans
- Goal 6: Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
Course Dates: September 14, 16, & 21, 2021
Times and Registration Information:
English Session: 12:00-13:30 EDT (UTC-4): https://go.nasa.gov/3yWpLpR
Spanish Session: 16:00-17:30 EDT (UTC-4): https://go.nasa.gov/3kMJPY7
Learning Objectives: By the end of this training, attendees will be able to:
- Identify recent satellite data useful for water quality monitoring
- Process MODIS and VIIRS images using SeaDAS to get water quality parameters
- Monitor water quality in selected coastal and estuarine regions
Audience: Federal, state, regional, and local public and private organizations involved in water quality and estuarine ecosystem management.
Course Format: Three, 1.5 hour parts