Satellite remote sensing of Cyanobacteria: Success stories of management taking action and the CyAN data sharing app.

The Cyanobacteria Assessment Network (CyAN) project is an interagency (US-EPA, NASA, NOAA, USGS) approach to use satellite remote sensing to support the management and public use of U.S. inland bodies of water by providing a capability to detect and quantify cyanobacteria algal blooms. The project is validating the Cyanobacteria Index (CI) algorithm as a water quality monitoring tool across the U.S. Another key aspect of the project is decision support. Therefore, it is necessary to get the data to end-users in an easy to access and understand format. To ensure that the product is usable the CyAN project has provided trainings and support to collaborators including EPA-regional offices, numerous state agencies, and non-profits. Also, to make the data more accessible the project created the CyAN Android™ mobile application, which allows people to explore satellite based cyanobacteria estimates for lakes of interest to them. The result of these efforts include managers using the product to monitor and close beaches in a timely manner and thereby avoiding human exposure to toxins. Also, the satellite product has been written into state HAB action plans as a tool for detecting blooms and into state’s law as relevant information for water quality monitoring. This presentation will cover the project’s effort to ensure that the satellite product is relevant and useful. Plus, demonstrate the utility of the CyAN app as a data sharing tool and tell success stories from the field that demonstrate the relevance of satellite remote sensing to management and addressing societal needs.