Synthetic aperture radar detection and characteristic analysis of cyanobacterial scum in Lake Taihu

Ganlin Wang; Junsheng Li; Bing Zhang; Zhiqiang Cai; Fangfang Zhang; Qian Shen

doi:10.1117/1.JRS.11.012006

15 March 2017 Synthetic aperture radar detection and characteristic analysis of cyanobacterial scum in Lake Taihu

Ganlin Wang, Junsheng Li, Bing Zhang, Zhiqiang Cai, Fangfang Zhang, Qian Shen

Author Affiliations +

Journal of Applied Remote Sensing, Vol. 11, Issue 1, 012006 (March 2017). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.JRS.11.012006

Abstract

To compensate for the limitations of optical remote sensing when restricted by cloud cover, it is worth exploring how to detect cyanobacterial blooms using synthetic aperture radar (SAR), which can penetrate clouds. A satellite–ground synchronous experiment was conducted in Lake Taihu, the third largest freshwater lake in China. A lipopeptide biosurfactant was detected in the algal scum layer, with an average content of 1.8 g/L. The viscosity (1.41 to 332 mPa.s) of the scum was significantly higher than that of scum-free water. The surface tension of the algal scum decreased by 12.5%, and the SAR microwave backscatter was reduced by 7.3 dB. This indicated that the cyanobacterial scum could effectively attenuate capillary waves and appear as dark patches in SAR images. SAR has the potential to be developed as a tool for the remote sensing of algal scum in lake waters.

Citation Download Citation

Ganlin Wang, Junsheng Li, Bing Zhang, Zhiqiang Cai, Fangfang Zhang, and Qian Shen "Synthetic aperture radar detection and characteristic analysis of cyanobacterial scum in Lake Taihu," Journal of Applied Remote Sensing 11(1), 012006 (15 March 2017). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.JRS.11.012006

Received: 7 June 2016; Accepted: 1 March 2017; Published: 15 March 2017

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