Web-Based Tool Developed through Multiagency Effort Allows Visualization of Cyanobacteria Blooms in Lakes and Reservoirs—Steps Toward Public Awareness and Exposure Prevention
A web-based application tool utilizing satellite data—CyANWeb—developed through collaborative interagency efforts was released as part of the Cyanobacteria Assessment Network (CyAN) to help Federal, State, Tribal, and local partners identify when cyanobacterial blooms may be forming. Available through a web browser or as an application, the tool can access, download, and provide data to notify users based on specific changes in the color of the water in more than 2,000 of the largest lakes and reservoirs across the United States. This capability provides information on where cyanobacterial blooms could result in human and wildlife exposure.
Although cyanobacteria, also called blue green algae, are present naturally in many water bodies, they can produce toxins that can become an environmental and public health issue. The exposure to toxins in water sources can increase drinking water treatment costs and affect recreational use and wildlife health. Potential health risks associated with the toxins produced by cyanobacteria include gastrointestinal distress, dermatitis, respiratory failure, and liver failure. Historically, monitoring cyanobacteria blooms has been labor intensive and limited owing to cost, time, and logistical constraints.
Scientists are developing tools to visualize blooms in lakes and reservoirs to help prioritize areas for monitoring of toxins and safeguard human, wildlife, companion animal, and livestock. The Cyanobacteria Assessment Network (CyAN) is a multi-agency project that uses satellite data to measure and ultimately provide early warnings for cyanobacteria blooms in U.S. lakes and reservoirs. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Environmental Health Program's Toxins and Harmful Algal Blooms Science Team collaborated with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to develop the research supporting the web application—Cyanobacteria Assessment Network Application (CyANWeb app). The CyAN app is available in web-based and mobile applications.
The CyANWeb app makes satellite data more accessible to water resource managers, water purveyors, communities, and anyone interested in knowing more about cyanobacterial blooms in their area water bodies. CyANWeb uses historical and current satellite data to develop daily and weekly images that can serve as an early warning system for the spatial extent and magnitude of cyanobacterial blooms and help identify areas for further testing. The tool is publicly available and can be used to view cyanobacteria blooms in more than 2,000 U.S. lakes and reservoirs based on the European Space Agency’s MERIS and Sentinel-3A and Sentinel-3B satellite Ocean and Land Color Instrument sensors.
This tool is a culmination of more than 6 years of interagency collaboration and is currently being used by Federal agencies, State agencies, and Tribes to assist with monitoring activities. The CyAN Team has taken a stepwise approach to build the capacity now available in CyANWeb. The CyAN Team has also developed separate national bloom frequency metrics in satellite observable lakes and reservoirs and near drinking water intakes and has estimated the potential economic value of measuring chlorophyll-a by satellites.
Ongoing tool development by the CyAN Team includes improvements in spatial extent and support development of predictive capabilities to identify cyanobacterial blooms. The USGS has a role in ground-to-space validation in vulnerable ecosystems and for water resources used for drinking water or recreation that are of particular concern for human health exposure. The USGS also has the capabilities to provide information to understand the limitations of the satellite data across different surface water quality types including lakes, reservoirs, and wetlands to improve interpretation of the satellite data. These comparisons are critical as we transition research tools to operational status and verify their use for different applications.
CyAN has been supported by NASA Ocean Biology and Biogeochemistry Program and Applied Sciences Program funding and in-kind contributions from each respective agency. The USGS Environmental Health Program Toxins and Harmful Algal Bloom Research Team has been a partner in this effort since its inception. Ground-to-space validation efforts have been supported by USGS Water Mission Area Harmful Algal Bloom Cooperative Matching Funds. These validation efforts are informing the transition from research to applied uses and are done in cooperation with local partners.
Related science is listed below.
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New Method Developed to Quantify Spatial Extent of Cyanobacterial Blooms
Satellite Imagery Used to Measure Algal Bloom Frequency—Steps Toward Understanding Exposure Risk
Cyanobacteria from 2016 Lake Okeechobee Harmful Algal Bloom Photo-Documented
Evaluating Linkages Between Algal Toxins and Human Health
A web-based application tool utilizing satellite data—CyANWeb—developed through collaborative interagency efforts was released as part of the Cyanobacteria Assessment Network (CyAN) to help Federal, State, Tribal, and local partners identify when cyanobacterial blooms may be forming. Available through a web browser or as an application, the tool can access, download, and provide data to notify users based on specific changes in the color of the water in more than 2,000 of the largest lakes and reservoirs across the United States. This capability provides information on where cyanobacterial blooms could result in human and wildlife exposure.
Although cyanobacteria, also called blue green algae, are present naturally in many water bodies, they can produce toxins that can become an environmental and public health issue. The exposure to toxins in water sources can increase drinking water treatment costs and affect recreational use and wildlife health. Potential health risks associated with the toxins produced by cyanobacteria include gastrointestinal distress, dermatitis, respiratory failure, and liver failure. Historically, monitoring cyanobacteria blooms has been labor intensive and limited owing to cost, time, and logistical constraints.
Scientists are developing tools to visualize blooms in lakes and reservoirs to help prioritize areas for monitoring of toxins and safeguard human, wildlife, companion animal, and livestock. The Cyanobacteria Assessment Network (CyAN) is a multi-agency project that uses satellite data to measure and ultimately provide early warnings for cyanobacteria blooms in U.S. lakes and reservoirs. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Environmental Health Program's Toxins and Harmful Algal Blooms Science Team collaborated with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to develop the research supporting the web application—Cyanobacteria Assessment Network Application (CyANWeb app). The CyAN app is available in web-based and mobile applications.
The CyANWeb app makes satellite data more accessible to water resource managers, water purveyors, communities, and anyone interested in knowing more about cyanobacterial blooms in their area water bodies. CyANWeb uses historical and current satellite data to develop daily and weekly images that can serve as an early warning system for the spatial extent and magnitude of cyanobacterial blooms and help identify areas for further testing. The tool is publicly available and can be used to view cyanobacteria blooms in more than 2,000 U.S. lakes and reservoirs based on the European Space Agency’s MERIS and Sentinel-3A and Sentinel-3B satellite Ocean and Land Color Instrument sensors.
This tool is a culmination of more than 6 years of interagency collaboration and is currently being used by Federal agencies, State agencies, and Tribes to assist with monitoring activities. The CyAN Team has taken a stepwise approach to build the capacity now available in CyANWeb. The CyAN Team has also developed separate national bloom frequency metrics in satellite observable lakes and reservoirs and near drinking water intakes and has estimated the potential economic value of measuring chlorophyll-a by satellites.
Ongoing tool development by the CyAN Team includes improvements in spatial extent and support development of predictive capabilities to identify cyanobacterial blooms. The USGS has a role in ground-to-space validation in vulnerable ecosystems and for water resources used for drinking water or recreation that are of particular concern for human health exposure. The USGS also has the capabilities to provide information to understand the limitations of the satellite data across different surface water quality types including lakes, reservoirs, and wetlands to improve interpretation of the satellite data. These comparisons are critical as we transition research tools to operational status and verify their use for different applications.
CyAN has been supported by NASA Ocean Biology and Biogeochemistry Program and Applied Sciences Program funding and in-kind contributions from each respective agency. The USGS Environmental Health Program Toxins and Harmful Algal Bloom Research Team has been a partner in this effort since its inception. Ground-to-space validation efforts have been supported by USGS Water Mission Area Harmful Algal Bloom Cooperative Matching Funds. These validation efforts are informing the transition from research to applied uses and are done in cooperation with local partners.
Related science is listed below.