Satellite Remote Sensing of Drinking Water Intakes in Lake Erie for Cyanobacteria Population Using Two MODIS-Based Indicators as a Potential Tool for Toxin Tracking

Frontiers in Marine Science

Song Liang¹  Jiyoung Lee²  Chenlin Hu³  C. K. Shum⁴  Feng Zhang⁵ 

[1] Department of Environmental and Global Health, College of Public Health and Health Professions, University of FloridaGainesville, FL, USA;Department of Food Science and Technology, The Ohio State UniversityColumbus, OH, USA;Division of Environmental Health Sciences, College of Public Health, The Ohio State UniversityColumbus, OH, USA;Division of Geodetic Science, School of Earth Sciences, The Ohio State UniversityColumbus, OH, USA;Environmental Science Graduate Program, The Ohio State UniversityColumbus, OH, USA;

关键词: cyanobacteria;    MODIS;    Lake Erie;    Microcystis;    drinking water source;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fmars.2017.00124

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

The growth of toxic Cyanobacterium, Microcystis aeruginosa, and the production of toxins, microcystins, pose serious concerns for the ecological health of lakes, such as western Lake Erie. The toxins are also significant health hazards and could contaminate tap water when sufficient and effective water treatment fails. In this study, water from the intakes of two water treatment plants along Lake Erie (Toledo and Painesville) were collected and examined for microcystins concentration (μg/L) and M. aeruginosa abundance (gene copies/mL) in concert with the performance of satellite-based cyanobacteria bloom indicators, chlorophyll-a and Cyanobacteria Index, a spectral shape index for monitoring the severity of cyanobacterial blooms from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) from May to October in 2013. Good correlations were observed between toxic M. aeruginosa, microcystins, and MODIS-retrieved bloom indicators for the Toledo water plant intake, where blooms were much more severe with higher chlorophyll-a, phycocyanin and microcystins, but not for the Painesville water plant intake in central Lake Erie where the blooms were less severe. The Spearman's correlation (0.815) suggested a high correlation between the level of microcystins and MODIS-retrieved chlorophyll-a concentration for the Toledo intake point in western Lake Erie. Both total and toxic Microcystis abundance showed a significant positive correlation with MODIS-retrieved chlorophyll-a for the Toledo water intake, as well as the two locations combined. This finding demonstrates the potential utility of satellite remote sensing for detection and monitoring of cyanobacterial blooms, and the method's potential use as an early warning system as a means of preventing human exposure to bloom-impacted waters.

【 授权许可】

Unknown