Monitoring harmful algal blooms in Marion and Grand reservoirs using unmanned systems

Nutrient runoff from different land management practices stimulates the growth of cyanobacteria and algae in surface water bodies. Excessive growth of algae in inland and coastal surface water bodies that release microcystins and other harmful algal contaminants are known as Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs). Monitoring HABs is important because they can cause negative health impacts to humans and create water quality issues such as depletion of dissolved oxygen in surface water bodies. Moreover, the increase in agricultural, industrial, and sewage effluents combined with frequent summer storms transports nutrients into water bodies and subsequently cause HABs. Therefore, implementing unmanned systems in monitoring HABs is useful because it reduces human contact with contaminated water and increases the spatial and temporal resolution of data collection. Recently unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) were used in monitoring surface water bodies for HABs because they are economical and collect data with high spatial resolution. However, in-situ monitoring combined with remote sensing enables in comparison of the two monitoring methods and evaluate the efficacy of remote sensing techniques to monitor HABs. Currently, monitoring is being conducted for HABs at the Grand Lake O The Cherokees, OK, and Marion reservoir, KS using an unmanned surface vehicle (USV). Using the unmanned monitoring system, the chlorophyll and phycocyanin concentrations were estimated, and gridded estimates were plotted. Finally, the high spatial resolution data of chlorophyll, phycocyanin, and other water quality parameters by monitoring helps in calibrating statistical models to forecast HABs at Grand Lake and Marion reservoir.