NASA Glenn's S-3 aircraft is one of the Center's
multi-mission airborne research platforms.
Image Credit:
NASA Glenn Research Center
Engineers at NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland are using NASA Glenn
remote sensing technology, previously developed for Mars exploration, to learn
more about the Lake Erie algal bloom that contaminated water supplies in
northwestern Ohio and southeastern Michigan over the weekend.
Deploying a hyper-spectral imager and miniature spectrometers aboard Glenn’s
S-3 aircraft, which begins the flight campaign today, researchers from Glenn;
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Great Lakes Environmental
Research Laboratory (GLERL) in Ann Arbor, Michigan and the U.S. Naval Research
Laboratory in Washington, D.C. are using the high resolution instruments to
capture images that will reveal western Lake Erie’s characteristics across the
light spectrum. Each aquatic component of the lake has a unique spectrographic
signature. By studying these signatures, researchers can continually improve
their ability to remotely identify the biochemical properties of an algal bloom
and predict when and where they will form.
"Fresh water is one of Earth’s most precious commodities and is essential to
our civilization’s survival,” said John Lekki, an optical systems research
engineer at Glenn. “Our collaboration with NOAA, and now the U.S. Naval
Research Lab in this effort, will increase our understanding of how to confront
this significant environmental and human health threat.”
NASA and NOAA satellite imagery is currently used to identify, monitor and
map potentially harmful algal blooms. However, varying weather conditions may
obscure a satellite’s imaging capability during a scheduled pass. The use of
airborne remote-sensing instruments supplements satellite imagery and helps
provide continual monitoring of algal blooms even when cloud cover is
prevalent. The use of remote-sensing equipment could also be beneficial in
other parts of the world where satellite imagery is not available and algal
blooms are an issue.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer
(MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this natural-color view of an algae
bloom in the west end of Lake Erie. The image of the coastal waters off of Ohio,
Michigan, and southwestern Ontario was acquired at 2:50 p.m. EST on August 3,
2014.
Image Credit:
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Once analyzed, the data collected through this research will be publicly
available to those with an interest in algal blooms.
“NOAA, NASA and the U.S. Naval Research Lab have the expertise and resources
uniquely suited to tackle this issue,” said George Leshkevich, a physical
scientist with the GLERL. “Getting this higher resolution data on Lake Erie
will help us better understand the characteristics of the current bloom and
improve our satellite detection methods to pinpoint where and when future blooms
will occur.”
The remote-sensing project is sponsored by NASA's Applied Sciences Program in
the Earth Science Division at NASA Headquarters, Washington. NASA monitors
Earth's vital signs from land, air and space with a fleet of satellites and
ambitious airborne and ground-based observation campaigns. NASA develops new
ways to observe and study Earth's interconnected natural systems with long-term
data records and computer analysis tools to better see how our planet is
changing. The agency shares this unique knowledge with the global community and
works with institutions in the United States and around the world that
contribute to understanding and protecting our home planet.
Over the past several weeks, researchers from Glenn and GLERL have been
testing the remote sensing system mounted on the S-3. Previous remote-sensing
research flights with NOAA took place in 2007.
Additional partners in the latest algal bloom flight research campaign
include Kent State University in Kent, Ohio, the University of Toledo in Toledo,
Ohio and Michigan Tech Research Institute in Ann Arbor, Mich.
For more information on NASA Glenn Research Center, visit:
For more information on NASA Earth science activities, visit:
For more information on NOAA, visit:
NASA
Guillermo Gonzalo Sánchez Achutegui
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