Take off: Remote Sensing of Inland Waters

Remote sensing provides valuable information about inland waters by imaging that goes far beyond the watercourse itself. It also promises to better understand processes within the waters, to detect causes of contamination at an early stage, and to be able to track long-term changes of inland waters at high spatial and temporal resolution.

Gyrocopter of Anhalt University of Applied Sciences. | Photo: Anhalt University of Applied Science

More than 30 scientists of various research institutes and universities – amongst them five IGB researchers – contributed their aquatic knowledge and an extensive arsenal of measuring instruments to a measuring campaign for remote sensing on five different lakes and reservoirs in Saxony-Anhalt: Arendsee, Reservoir Kelbra, Lake Süßer See, Lake Geiseltalsee and Rappodetalsperre. In addition to boats and satellites, drones and a helicopter were used. The data - obtained at the same time - is used to compare satellite data with various optical measuring instruments and conventional analytical methods from the laboratory, such as chlorophyll measurements in water bodies.