Remote sensing of chlorophyll a and temperature to support algal bloom monitoring in Blue Mesa Reservoir, Colorado
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Abstract
We present methods to reconstruct historical chlorophyll a and surface water temperatures from satellite-based remote sensing products for Blue Mesa Reservoir, Colorado, to support algal bloom monitoring. A machine learning model was trained to construct chlorophyll a concentrations from Sentinel-2 satellite imagery and in situ measurements of chlorophyll a concentrations (out of bag RMSE = 1.9 μg/L, R2 = 0.63) and reconstruct summertime chlorophyll a concentrations over the entire reservoir from 2016 through 2023. Concurrently, we developed an approach to retrieve remotely sensed water temperatures from the Landsat collection 2 provisional surface temperature product (MAE = 0.6°C) and reconstructed summertime surface water temperature records from 2000 through 2023. Finally, we demonstrate how the reconstructed chlorophyll a and temperature records can yield insight on reservoir dynamics. The chlorophyll a records indicate that algal blooms have a consistent spatial pattern across multiple years, initiating in the eastern end of the reservoir and spreading to the west over time. Water temperatures increased at a linearized rate of 0.3°C per decade from 2000 through 2023 and were inversely proportional to reservoir water surface elevation. Finally, mean summer remotely sensed chlorophyll a concentration had a moderately positive correlation with mean summer remotely sensed water temperature.
Study Area
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Remote sensing of chlorophyll a and temperature to support algal bloom monitoring in Blue Mesa Reservoir, Colorado |
| Series title | Journal of the American Water Resources Association |
| DOI | 10.1111/1752-1688.70038 |
| Volume | 61 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Publication Date | August 11, 2025 |
| Year Published | 2025 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Wiley |
| Contributing office(s) | Colorado Water Science Center, Idaho Water Science Center |
| Description | e70038, 19 p. |
| Country | United States |
| State | Colorado |
| County | Gunnison County |
| Other Geospatial | Blue Mesa Reservoir |