Near-real time water quality monitoring in ports and hydro ways using UAVs and low-cost sensors.
Abstract
Coastal and estuaries ecosystems, where ports and hydro ways are located, are under immensestress from pollution due to a number of factors such as commercial and recreational maritimetraffic, port activities, industrial and agricultural runoff through inland waterways, and actionssuch as dredging that discharge pollutants directly into the water. Monitoring sedimentation (TSM,Total Suspended Matter) processes in ports and hydro-ways demands advanced high-spatial andtemporal resolution of remote sensing observation that can quickly inform the water qualitychanges due to port activities. Also, knowing local patterns of POM (Particulate Organic Matter)may disclose information about the concurrence of physical, chemical and biological processesthat leave an imprint on sediment transport which helps tracking pollution source. Therefore, theobjective of this project is to quickly map the total suspended matter and its organic fraction totrack the source of pollution and contamination in harbours and hydro-ways. We propose to useof UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) and low-cost sensors for tracking water quality changescaused by port activities such as dredging. The effort will be focused on the So Gonalo-MirimLagoon complex in the southern part of Brazil, where a hydro-way between Uruguay and Brazilhas been built. This project will focus on two main research lines that are key to achieve the mainobjective as follows: 1) Map water quality parameters (inorganic and organic particle matter) usinghyperspectral data from UAVs by optimizing flight characteristics, minimizing environmentaleffects (such as sun-glint), and applying algorithms based on in situ measurements; 2) Given theabsence of a regular and reliable in situ water quality information that supports algorithmsdevelopment, a second research line will foster the development of low-cost in situ sensors forbio-optical information, such as Turbidity, organic matter content, amongst others relevantinformation. The crux of the proposed effort centers around establishing an optimal system forUAV operation, adapting existing algorithms for near-real-time retrieval of TSM (Total SuspendedMatter) and POM (Particulate Organic Matter) from UAV data, using UAV-retrieved data inconjunction with in situ data, and interpreting retrieved water quality information in the context ofknown information of physical disturbances (ship traffic, dredging activities, etc.) in the waterenvironment. As outcomes, we expect to i) Define a systematic approach to quantify the spatialand temporal dynamics of particulate organic and inorganic matter changes due to port-relatedactivities; ii) Produce water quality maps (Spatial distribution of TSM and POM); iii)Amplification in situ water quality information by developing low-cost sensors for bio-opticalparameters, such as backscattering, turbidity and organic matter.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- May 05, 2021
- Source ID
- N629092112022
Entities
People
- Felipe Lobo
Organizations
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy