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#           Eyes on Earth Episode 114 – The Color of Water with Landsat                    Completed

      By Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center       March 11, 2024    

                  -              Overview           

We’re going to find out how researchers took an old data technique in freshwater science—physically sampling lake water—and reinvented it using satellite technology to study water quality in lakes across the U.S.

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Typically, we use Landsat data to study changes on the land—you know, *Land*sat. In this episode of Eyes on Earth, we learn how satellite images and pixels of water, along with actual water samples, are helpful in determining the productivity of lakes across the United States. We talk with Mendenhall Fellow and Research Geographer Dr. Michael Meyer about a recently released, freely accessible dataset that uses a metric called lake trophic state to validate the Landsat observations of thousands of lakes. The dataset was also named a USGS Open Science Success Story as part of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy’s 2023 “Year of Open Science” campaign.

**Guest:** Dr. Michael Meyer, Mendenhall Fellow and Research Geographer, USGS

**Host:** Tom Adamson (contractor for USGS EROS)

**Producer:** Tom Adamson (contractor for USGS EROS)

**Release date:** Monday, March 11, 2024

Download and Transcript Access

## More about the Lake Trophic State dataset:

                                      - Published paper about the data
                                      - Dataset available at Environmental Data Initiative
                                      - EPA National Lakes Assessment
                                      - USGS Open Science Success Story  

 

## Related Episodes

                                -  -  February 22, 2021  Eyes on Earth Episode 44 – Landsat Water Atlas
Dr. Alan Belward has spent a lot of time thinking about the planet’s surface water. The former Landsat Science Team member uses satellite data to track changes to lakes, rivers, and streams, and recently published a book that uses Landsat data to tell some of those stories.
ByCore Science Systems Mission Area, National Land Imaging Program, Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center , Landsat Missions
-  August 23, 2021  Eyes on Earth Episode 57 – Landsat and the Great Lakes
The Great Lakes represent roughly 20% of the surface freshwater in the world and 90% in the United States. The Great Lakes Basin supports more than 30 million people in the U.S. and Canada and 3,500 plant and animal species. The region faces threats that range from climate change and invasive species to pollution and development.
ByCore Science Systems Mission Area, Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center 
-  March 21, 2022  Eyes on Earth Episode 70 - ECOSTRESS and Aquatic Ecosystems
Summary: The Earth observation data archived here have plenty of value to the study of aquatic ecosystems. Landsat satellites can capture harmful algal blooms, for example. Spaceborne sensors can also record land surface temperatures, and that includes water surfaces.
ByCore Science Systems Mission Area, Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center 
 

### Study Area

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#### Michelle Bouchard

##### Communications and Outreach

Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center 

mbouchard@usgs.gov

605-594-6168

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                  - Overview  
We’re going to find out how researchers took an old data technique in freshwater science—physically sampling lake water—and reinvented it using satellite technology to study water quality in lakes across the U.S.
Return to Eyes on Earth Homepage        Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media DetailsView        Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media DetailsMichael Meyer
Typically, we use Landsat data to study changes on the land—you know, *Land*sat. In this episode of Eyes on Earth, we learn how satellite images and pixels of water, along with actual water samples, are helpful in determining the productivity of lakes across the United States. We talk with Mendenhall Fellow and Research Geographer Dr. Michael Meyer about a recently released, freely accessible dataset that uses a metric called lake trophic state to validate the Landsat observations of thousands of lakes. The dataset was also named a USGS Open Science Success Story as part of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy’s 2023 “Year of Open Science” campaign.

**Guest:** Dr. Michael Meyer, Mendenhall Fellow and Research Geographer, USGS

**Host:** Tom Adamson (contractor for USGS EROS)

**Producer:** Tom Adamson (contractor for USGS EROS)

**Release date:** Monday, March 11, 2024

Download and Transcript Access
More about the Lake Trophic State dataset:- Published paper about the data
- Dataset available at Environmental Data Initiative
- EPA National Lakes Assessment
- USGS Open Science Success Story  

 
Related Episodes-  -  February 22, 2021  Eyes on Earth Episode 44 – Landsat Water Atlas
Dr. Alan Belward has spent a lot of time thinking about the planet’s surface water. The former Landsat Science Team member uses satellite data to track changes to lakes, rivers, and streams, and recently published a book that uses Landsat data to tell some of those stories.
ByCore Science Systems Mission Area, National Land Imaging Program, Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center , Landsat Missions
-  August 23, 2021  Eyes on Earth Episode 57 – Landsat and the Great Lakes
The Great Lakes represent roughly 20% of the surface freshwater in the world and 90% in the United States. The Great Lakes Basin supports more than 30 million people in the U.S. and Canada and 3,500 plant and animal species. The region faces threats that range from climate change and invasive species to pollution and development.
ByCore Science Systems Mission Area, Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center 
-  March 21, 2022  Eyes on Earth Episode 70 - ECOSTRESS and Aquatic Ecosystems
Summary: The Earth observation data archived here have plenty of value to the study of aquatic ecosystems. Landsat satellites can capture harmful algal blooms, for example. Spaceborne sensors can also record land surface temperatures, and that includes water surfaces.
ByCore Science Systems Mission Area, Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center 
 
Study AreaContactsMichelle BouchardCommunications and OutreachEarth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center Emailmbouchard@usgs.govPhone605-594-6168Explore Search- Information Systems
- Maps and Mapping
- Science Technology
- Water
- Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center
- Eyes on Earth
- Landsat
- National Lakes Assessment
- Water Quality
View All **