Low-Cost System to Support and Expand Cyanobacterial Harmful Algal Bloom Monitoring with New-Generation Ocean Color Satellites
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: High Resolution Image Download MS PowerPoint Slide Cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (CyanoHABs) pose global risks to public health, ecosystems, and economies. Despite advancements in satellite remote sensing, monitoring gaps persist, particularly in smaller, remote, and resource-limited regions, where CyanoHABs often remain undetected. Satellite-based methods, though effective for large-scale monitoring, suffer from a low spatial resolution, cloud cover, and reliance on in situ validation data. Traditional in situ monitoring equipment, including high-precision spectroradiometers, is costly and logistically challenging, further exacerbating global monitoring inequities. Cyanosense 2.0 (CS2.0) is a low-cost system for real-time in situ CyanoHAB detection and satellite validation designed to address these monitoring voids. CS2.0 integrates two hyperspectral Hamamatsu spectrometers and a microcontroller system, recording Remote Sensing Reflectance (R rs ) with high agreement to industry-grade instruments ( R 2 = 0.86, Normalized Root Mean Squared Error (NRMSE) = 9.82%), at a fraction of the cost (∼$1300). During field validation in multiple CyanoHAB-prone U.S. lakes, CS2.0 showed a strong performance when tested for widely used satellite-based CyanoHAB models and indices ( R 2 = 0.74–0.83; NRMSE = 13%–18%). The system’s weatherproof design supports long-term autonomous deployments, making it functional in remote environments. As a scalable and accessible solution, CS2.0 holds the potential to democratize CyanoHAB monitoring and improve global water quality assessments, especially in under-represented regions.
Source: ACS ES&T Water
Authors: Chintan B. Maniyar, Keshav Raviprakash, Abhishek Kumar, Mark A. Seferian, Isabella R. Fiorentino, Deepak R. Mishra
Institution: University of Georgia
Language: English
Subfield: Environmental Chemistry
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $4,500
Funders: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Department of Water Resources, Georgia Space Grant Consortium, Cleveland State University, Ohio State University, Florida Atlantic University, Utah Department of Environmental Quality, Universidad del Atlántico, European Space Agency, Earth Sciences Division
OpenAlex ID: W4415504468