ESEL Paper Review_20120123
 
By Hong Guo

1,Title and Author

Title: An Approach to Developing Numeric Water Quality Criteria for  Coastal Waters Using the SeaWiFs Satellite Data Record

Journal: Environmental Science and Technology

Authors:

Blake A. Schaeffer,1,* James D. Hagy,1 Robyn N. Conmy,1 John C. Lehrter,1 and Richard P. Stumpf2

1 U.S EPA national Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, Gulf Ecology Division, 1 Sabine Island Drive, Gulf Breeze, Florida 32561, United States
2 NOOAA, National Ocean Service, Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment, 1305 East-West Highway, N/SCL1, Silver Spring Maryland 20910, United States

2. Summary of Paper

In this paper, the authors evaluate a reference condition approach for numeric criteria development that uses data from satellite remote sensing. A reference condition approach involves computing criteria based on water quality present in a water body that can be interpreted as supporting, or not impairing, the designated uses. And this reference condition could be based on data collected in the past, when the water body was determined to be minimally impacted by nitrogen or phosphorus pollution or from a similar water body.(Florida’s coastal water.)
Here, as we know the objective of  numeric criteria is to protect aquatic life uses from the anthropogenic nutrient loading to the coastal zone.
2.1 Results

The satellite remote sensing had the potential to provide adequate data for the incomplete data sampling site. (Such as the Florida’s coastal areas) Moreover, the spatial and temporal measures of SeaWiFs OC4 chlorophyll-a can be collected by the satellite and the statistical distributions can be used as determining a quantitative reference baseline

1, After comparing the satellite data and the sampling data, the authors found that within 3NM (nautical miles), the Chi-a (cholorophyll) and Chlrs-a(SeaWiFS OC4 derived chlorophyll) were significantly correlated(p<0.01). the Chi-a within the 3NM boundary represented 6 , respectively, of the total available data for satellite mach-up.
2, CDOM (colored dissolved organic matter) and bottom reflectance were identified as possible interferences affecting the relationship between Chl-a and Chlrs-a in coastal waters. The authors used nonparametric statistics and focused on the upper quartiles, so the interferences by bottom reflectance and CDOM were unlikely to affect derivation of numeric criteria.


3. Contribution:

As the authors said in the papers, this research approach could be transferred to other satellites such as the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer(MOBIS), Medium  Resolution Imaging Spectrometer(MERIS),Pre-ACE, aerosols, clouds, and ecosystem(PACE) satellite, and the Ocean and Land Color Instrument(OLCI).  
Moreover, the approach for the developing numeric water quality criteria evaluated in this study could potentially be used to compute criteria for any coastal waters of similar scale. Adding the new tech, and analysis of the large field sampling programs, such ECOHAB and NEGOM… etc. on the other words, new approach can be developed and important. This paper used the satellite tech to simulate the real site-nutrient moving and distribution.  Comparing the real data, we could found that, there was significant correlation we could have and applied to the real estimation. Finally, we could do the prospects for relating Chlrs-responses to anthropogenic nutrient pollution

Hope this paper can help the lab members who research the satellite applied to water management area.(the paper contains many information I describe above, you can read it details.)


4. Author information:
Email: schaeffer.blake@epa.gov