CSIRO’s AquaWatch program (AquaWatch) aims to improve the accuracy of water quality monitoring data globally and to provide scientifically robust water quality products and services to our partners to ensure they have access to water quality data that is accurate and can support decision making. AquaWatch integrates Earth observation data with in-situ sensor measurements to deliver actionable, scientifically robust water quality data for its partners. The AquaWatch inland water quality product suite provides per waterbody time series of a chlorophyll index, total suspended matter, and water temperature. The product suite leverages the Digital Earth Australia waterbodies product to provide a ‘cookie cutter’ polygon that can be used to analyse/view the relationship between water surface area and water quality. The data is updated with each satellite overpass providing water resource managers with an up-to-date view of water quality across the region.
Waterways in South East Queensland (SEQ) including Brisbane’s lakes and drinking water reservoirs are subject to a range of water quality pressures, including eutrophication, sediment rich inflows during major rainfall events and algal blooms. This paper presents two AquaWatch products for waterways of interest in SEQ: 1. per waterbody chlorophyll dynamics and 2. per waterbody TSS dynamics. The per waterbody chlorophyll dynamics are examined at site level via the chlorophyll dynamics of Forest Lake, an ornamental lake in SW Brisbane that receives nutrient rich run off from surrounding suburbs and has experienced eutrophication and severe blue green blooms. Having established the data visualization for the Forest Lake example, the chlorophyll dynamics of several other drinking water and irrigation water reservoirs are explored more briefly.
SEQ’s drinking water reservoirs are subject to sediment rich inflows when bushfires reduce vegetation cover and subsequent rainfall events mobilise sediment. Sediment also impacts these reservoirs during major flood events that have occurred frequently in recent decades. Per waterbody TSS products provide insight into when these events have occurred, and how long the resulting sediment stays in suspension following those events. This product is explored for Brisbane’s largest drinking water reservoir, Lake Wivenhoe, with a brief exploration of several other drinking water reservoirs across the SEQ.
CSIRO’s AquaWatch program has developed workflows to enable these products to be deployed for any waterbody larger than 4 Olympic swimming pools across Australia and Africa. These products can be deployed in other countries wherever per waterbody polygon sets are available.