An UAV and Satellite Multispectral Data Approach to Monitor Water Quality in Small Reservoirs

Abstract

A multi-sensor and multi-scale monitoring tool for the spatially explicit and periodic monitoring of eutrophication in a small drinking water reservoir is presented. The tool was built with freely available satellite and in situ data combined with Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)-based technology. The goal is to evaluate the performance of a multi-platform approach for the trophic state monitoring with images obtained with MultiSpectral Sensors on board satellites Sentinel 2 (S2A and S2B), Landsat 8 (L8) and UAV. We assessed the performance of three different sensors (MultiSpectral Instrument (MSI), Operational Land Imager (OLI) and Rededge Micasense) for retrieving the pigment chlorophyll-a (chl-a), as a quantitative descriptor of phytoplankton biomass and trophic level. The study was conducted in a waterbody affected by cyanobacterial blooms, one of the most important eutrophication-derived risks for human health. Different empirical models and band indices were evaluated. Spectral band combinations using red and near-infrared (NIR) bands were the most suitable for retrieving chl-a concentration (especially 2 band algorithm (2BDA), the Surface Algal Bloom Index (SABI) and 3 band algorithm (3BDA)) even though blue and green bands were useful to classify UAV images into two chl-a ranges. The results show a moderately good agreement among the three sensors at different spatial resolutions (10 m., 30 m. and 8 cm.), indicating a high potential for the development of a multi-platform and multi-sensor approach for the eutrophication monitoring of small reservoirs