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Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - MONOCLE (Multiscale Observation Networks for Optical monitoring of Coastal waters, Lakes and Estuaries)

Teaser

Summary

Satellites provide unparalleled observation coverage of the optical water quality of oceans and inland, transitional and coastal waterbodies. Satellite observation of water quality relies on the separation of sunlight that interacted with the atmosphere and the water column. In the vicinity of land, the optical properties of water are not as predictable as in the open ocean. Reference measurements taken in the field are therefore required to develop and validate satellite data interpretation methods.

The Copernicus services already provide free-of-charge global satellite data products for inland and coastal waters. However, scarcity of suitable in situ observations hampers global assurance of the quality of these satellite products. It is important to improve the validation aspect of satellite-based services so that satellite data can be used widely in international water quality monitoring procedures and agreements and help increase our resilience to water quality threats in a rapidly changing environment.

By lowering the cost of collecting and sharing in situ observations, MONOCLE improves sustainability of integrated satellite and in situ water quality services. This is achieved by improved automation of highly accurate reference sensors, complemented with low-cost devices that could be operated by non-experts. The innovations include improved sensors to record water colour from moving and non-moving platforms as well as remotely piloted aircraft (drones) and using smartphone extensions. It also includes in-water sensors to observe vertical transparency and algal pigment concentration. Standardized data formats are then used to ensure wide and sustainable use in near real-time and in future. The project further researches methods to combine observations taken by high-end and low-cost devices and to automate quality control of individual sensors.

To ensure future sustainability of the sensors and data networks, MONOCLE widely uses open-source development approaches and provides training materials for independent use and capacity building.

Work performed

Work in the first 18 months of the four-year project focussed on improving sensor and platform prototypes and implementing data communication standards. To guide this work, a survey was conducted among water quality practitioners and supported by a series of webinars. Results from this engagement were translated into specific development requirements for MONOCLE sensors and platform innovation.

Sensor prototypes and deployment protocols have been developed to measure water colour (reflectance) and atmospheric conditions on shipborne, buoy and static platforms. Further, sensors deployed in the water column include those for low-cost transparency and algal pigment absorption. These systems form a comprehensive set of observation tools to quantify uncertainties in satellite observations. To complement this approach, microscale observation capabilities are being expanded with a smartphone extension to contribute reliable water colour measurements, which are introduced into existing initiatives to engage citizens in environmental monitoring. As such observations are often located near-shore, the use of standard and specialized cameras on consumer drones has been evaluated to further complement the observation suite.

Long-term sustainability of the solutions sought within MONOCLE will require continued evolution of sensors (e.g. to work with future smartphones or done systems) and a low threshold to uptake by expert and non-expert users. To this end, MONOCLE has produced a series of webinars and fact sheets, and will continue to produce deployment guidelines, open source hardware and software models, and be open to external collaboration on data interoperability and sharing.

Final results

The MONOCLE suite of environmental sensors and innovative platforms will serve the Earth observation research communities for water and atmosphere with a rapidly replenishing volume of reference observation data, reducing both local-regional (improved atmospheric correction) and global (improved algorithms) observation uncertainty. The innovation potential is amplified by producing deployment guides and instructions for in-field calibration designed to lower operational cost, and to encourage community involvement in the evolution of selected sensors.

Expanding the sensor network over a diverse range of optical water bodies will systematically fulfil the ongoing needs of global space agencies for sensor calibration and validation over optically complex waters, and support further study to improve satellite data algorithms for biogeochemical water quality parameters, particularly for optical water types that are currently underrepresented in archived data sets.
The project has already delivered prototype sensors for water colour radiometry and identified solutions to lower the operational cost of in situ observation through automation and by facilitating participation of non-experts.
While cost-effectiveness of the in situ observation network as a whole will improve through an increased volume of observations and increasing the interval between absolute calibrations by exploiting redundant measurements, MONOCLE also aims to produce a suite of complementary low-cost sensors for water colour (as reference to remote sensors) and water column (transparency, phytoplankton biomass) measurements. Methodologies to optimize the integration of the point-based (and often, shore-based) observation with satellite observation and high-end reference stations will be developed to provide quality assured data from multiple sources. It is expected that these methodologies and the demonstration cases will highlight the importance of non-expert observations in data-poor areas.

Ultimately, the coming of age of integrated satellite and in situ observation methods for optically complex water bodies, including all inland and coastal areas where the impacts of human activity on the environment are most severe and most directly felt, has a global impact that cannot be understated. Management of water resources towards Sustainable Development Goal 6 will rely, due to significant data gaps, rely on reliable satellite observations. The satellite observation research and private sector are also in need of in situ data to improve data interpretation methods, requiring measurements to be carried out that allow improved characterization of product uncertainties, thereby improving confidence in the correct use of satellite products. In turn, this requires an efficient network of sensors and data sharing.

The MONOCLE integrated observation service concept will significantly lower the technology and computing requirement for innovators in environmental observation in general, and water quality management in particular. The MONOCLE â€˜back-endâ€™ of data services is designed to be non-exclusive, operating entirely on interoperable data standards of the Open Geospatial Consortium. At the end of the first reporting period (month 18), the system is ready to ingest standardized sensor input through the Sensor Observation Service. In the coming period, data visualisation and analysis tools will be developed and these are largely available as an open-source software toolkit. Thus, it is expected that the project will boost innovation with app developers, environmental consultants, data analysts and visualisation artists worldwide, also beyond the duration of the project.