Satellite data can be used to identify and monitor red tide events, such as this one spreading from the Gulf of Oman into the Persian Gulf. The image was acquired by Envisat's MERIS instrument on Nov. 22, 2008.
The European Space Agency (ESA) selected an online service that monitors water quality for the aquaculture industry as this year's most beneficial Earth-monitoring service for European citizens. Following an online vote, Harmful Algal Bloom Forecast (HAB Forecast) won in the Best Service Challenge category.
The service provides a weekly Web bulletin that alerts fish farmers and regulators of these harmful blooms. It is the first forecast system of this kind, designed to combine information from in-situ monitoring stations, satellite data, and biological and physical oceanic models. The service was submitted by Julie Maguire from the Daithi O'Murchu Marine Research Station, Ireland.
The Best Service Challenge is one of nine categories in the European Earth-monitoring competition Copernicus Masters, which rewards the best ideas for services, business cases and applications based on satellite Earth observation data.
Image courtesy of C-wams project, Planetek Hellas/ESA.
