IES publication on lake research and water monitoring using Sentinel satellite data

Researchers and Estonian post-doctorateTuuli Soomets from the Institute for Environmental Solutions (IES) has developed research publication on satellite data based lake research “Comparison of Lake Optical Water Types Derived from Sentinel-2 and Sentinel-3” published on “Remote Sensing, An Open Access Journal from MDPI”

Estonian post-doctorate Tuuli Soomets with the support of IES’s supervisor team of remote sensing scientists Dainis Jakovels and Agris Brauns, as well as freshwater researcher Matīss Žagars is developing the method that can help to fill the gaps in Latvia’s national water monitoring program, thus supporting smart and scientifically based decisions for lake management in Latvia. Till now, the water monitoring program is fully based on field sampling methods which is time consuming and expensive. Satellite data based remote sensing offers to add spatial and temporal dimension thus complementing the standard in situ techniques and creating more holistic approach of lake research. The expected result of this research is improved remote sensing tool for lake research and assessment that could be used not only in Latvia, but also in other countries which have similar inland water characteristics (e.g. Estonia).

Based on the results from the previous 2-year period of this research, the researchers have developed the publication, which was appreciated by international remote sensing research community. Thus, the publication “Comparison of Lake Optical Water Types Derived from Sentinel-2 and Sentinel-3” was published on special issue of the journal “Remote Sensing, An Open Access Journal from MDPI” – “Understanding the Complexity of Coastal and Inland Waters using Remote Sensing”.

The research is a part of the project “ICT-based remote sensing tool for retrieving water quality products for lake research and monitoring” (FLUID), No. 1.1.1.2/VIAA/1/16/137. Agreement with State Education Development Agency of the Republic of Latvia No. 1.1.1.2/16/I/001. The project is funded by the European Regional Development Fund and partly funded by State budget and the Institute for Environmental Solutions.

Find more about the FLUID project here.