Scientists want to monitor every river from space
Science writers highlight UC environmental engineering professor's research
Earth.com, Science Magazine and other science outlets highlighted research led by the University of Cincinnati that examined ways that satellite technology can help protect drinking water derived from the world's rivers.
UC College of Engineering and Applied Science Professor Dongmei Feng and her research partners explained how scientists can use new tools such as satellite remote sensing to study water quality and the health and stressors of all of the world’s rivers.
Increasingly, water treatment plants are exposed to risks from harmful algal blooms in rivers around the world.
In a paper published in the journal Nature Water, Feng and co-lead author Xiao Yang from Southern Methodist University and their collaborators discussed ways that technology can help mitigate the risks.
Researchers can use satellite remote sensing to track how rivers affect the world’s oceans as sediment and nutrients get carried into estuaries, essential nurseries for fish and other marine life.
Yang said new satellite technology allows researchers to monitor water quality using changes in the spectrum of light, which can identify the nutrients in the water. Satellites and computer modeling hold the promise of tracking water quality in extraordinary global detail.
Feng received a grant from the National Science Foundation to study 50 years of data on the world’s rivers to learn more about how they carry nutrients and what that can teach us about developing early warnings for toxic algae blooms.
Featured image at top: Rivers around the world have seen increasing harmful algal blooms. Photo/Elliot Kolbus
UC Professor Dongmei Feng received two federal grants for projects aimed at protecting drinking water derived from rivers. Photo/Andrew Higley/UC
Frequently asked questions about UC's river research
How can satellites help protect drinking water?
Satellites can detect changes in light reflected from rivers, which reveals nutrient levels and the growth of toxic algae. UC Professor Dongmei Feng uses this data to track nutrient pollution and predict toxic algal blooms that threaten drinking water supplies.
What grants support this river and algae research?
Feng received a National Science Foundation grant of approximately $800,000 to study nutrient dynamics in rivers and a three-year $600,000 NASA grant to develop an early-warning system for toxic algal blooms affecting drinking water treatment plants.
How does Cincinnati protect our drinking water?
Professor Dongmei Feng in UC's College of Engineering and Applied Science is partnering with the Greater Cincinnati Water Works on a new early warning system to detect toxic algae blooms in the Ohio River to protect sources of drinking water.
What is eutrophication?
When too many nutrients from fertilizers or sewage get into the water, it creates a smorgasbord for algae that begin reproducing wildly. Algae blocks out sunlight, killing other aquatic plants. And when the algae and aquatic plants die, bacteria that feed on the dead plant matter consume oxygen in the water, creating dead zones that can lead to massive fish die-offs.
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