Project Funding: 2017 - 2020

NRA: 2016 NASA: Carbon Monitoring System   

Funded by NASA

Abstract:
A three year $660K program is proposed to develop and evaluate ocean color satellite- based primary production models for estimating carbon fixation of freshwater lakes on a global scale and to provide carbon fixation estimates for the world’s freshwater lakes. Generation of this first of its kind data set is an important initial step to determining complete freshwater lake carbon budgets for the world’s lakes. These new remote sensing based tools and data products generated at local and regional scales would support the Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) aspect of NASA’s CMS program objectives and specifically addresses the two CMS research topics “using remote sensing data products to produce and evaluate prototype MRV system approaches and/or calibration and validation data sets for future NASA missions;” and “Studies that build upon, extend, and/or improve the existing CMS products for biomass and flux resulting from NASA’s first phases of CMS pilot studies”. This project builds upon and extends a methodology for estimating primary production established in an initial pilot study under a NASA CMS Phase 2 (2012 Solicitation) program to “Develop new regional carbon monitoring products in the Great Lakes” (Shuchman et al. 2013; Fahnenstiel et al. 2016; Grant #NN12AP94G). Specifically, a simplified Depth Integrated Model (DIM) for estimating primary production or carbon fixation (thereafter referred to as carbon fixation) would generate a 2011 snapshot of the total carbon fixation in all freshwater lakes on a 300m grid, while a more sophisticated regionally optimized Vertically Generalized Production Model (VGPM) developed under this program would be used to generate annual carbon fixation estimates for 1000 freshwater lakes of the world from 2002-2011. Finally, monthly estimates of carbon fixation would be generated for 10 of the world’s largest lakes from 2002-2016. In addition to supporting CMS, the time series of carbon fixation products to be generated under this new program can be used to provide a better understanding of how anthropogenic forcing, invasive species, and climate change affect carbon fixation of the freshwater lakes in the various ecological regions throughout the globe. The carbon fixation estimates to be generated under this program are also useful in calculating freshwater fish production and better understanding lake ecosystems throughout the world. The Globolakes research programme (http://www.globolakes.ac.uk/) is an integral part of this research program and our goals fit closely with their research mission. Globolakes is providing a robust database of satellite and in situ observations that will be directly used in the generation of freshwater carbon fixation products. The simplified DIM and VGPM developed under this proposed program can utilize a variety of multispectral satellite aircraft and UAS data sources. The ocean color satellite data that will be used in this proposed program includes: MERIS and VIIRS.

Publications:

Bosse, K. R., Sayers, M. J., Shuchman, R. A., Fahnenstiel, G. L., Ruberg, S. A., Fanslow, D. L., Stuart, D. G., Johengen, T. H., Burtner, A. M. 2019. Spatial-temporal variability of in situ cyanobacteria vertical structure in Western Lake Erie: Implications for remote sensing observations. Journal of Great Lakes Research. 45(3), 480-489. DOI: 10.1016/j.jglr.2019.02.003

Sayers, M. J., Bosse, K. R., Shuchman, R. A., Ruberg, S. A., Fahnenstiel, G. L., Leshkevich, G. A., Stuart, D. G., Johengen, T. H., Burtner, A. M., Palladino, D. 2019. Spatial and temporal variability of inherent and apparent optical properties in western Lake Erie: Implications for water quality remote sensing. Journal of Great Lakes Research. 45(3), 490-507. DOI: 10.1016/j.jglr.2019.03.011

Sayers, M. J., Fahnenstiel, G. L., Shuchman, R. A., Bosse, K. R. 2021. A new method to estimate global freshwater phytoplankton carbon fixation using satellite remote sensing: initial results. International Journal of Remote Sensing. 42(10), 3708-3730. DOI: 10.1080/01431161.2021.1880661

Sayers, M. J., Grimm, A. G., Shuchman, R. A., Bosse, K. R., Fahnenstiel, G. L., Ruberg, S. A., Leshkevich, G. A. 2019. Satellite monitoring of harmful algal blooms in the Western Basin of Lake Erie: A 20-year time-series. Journal of Great Lakes Research. 45(3), 508-521. DOI: 10.1016/j.jglr.2019.01.005

Sayers, M., Bosse, K., Fahnenstiel, G., Shuchman, R. 2020. Carbon Fixation Trends in Eleven of the World's Largest Lakes: 2003-2018. Water. 12(12), 3500. DOI: 10.3390/w12123500

More details may be found in the following project profile(s):

• NASA Terrestrial Ecology (TE) Project Profile
• North American Carbon Program (NACP) Project Profile
• NASA Carbon Monitoring System (CMS) Project Profile