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Map created by Sam Batzli, ERSC - U. of Wisconsin.
NASA satellite imagery has been used to determine lake water clarity for all lakes larger than 20 acres in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and parts of Michigan. Click on the above image to see a larger version.
Our researchers are using NASA satellite imagery to monitor lake water clarity calibrated from field measurements already
being collected by resource agencies and citizen monitoring efforts. A 2000 regional census of the lake clarity conditions in Minnesota,
Wisconsin and Michigan has been produced (see figure above) which includes information on thousands of lakes that were previously unmonitored.
For relatively little cost, the efforts of resource monitoring agencies can be greatly extended through the application of satellite remote sensing.
Satellite mapping of water clarity can help us see see geographical patterns and temporal trends in water clarity across the Upper Great Lakes Region. Researchers are also mapping water clarity with
archived satellite data enabling us to go back into the past and look at historical trends. The Twin Cities LakeBrowser
displays an example
of data gathered at 10 time periods over the last 30 years. This type of visual information helps resource managers target problem areas, enables
systematic monitoring of inland lakes, demonstrates the power of satellite remote sensing, and shows how cooperation among university, federal, state
and citizen organizations can yield valuable results.
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