Preliminary Analysis of Satellite and Field Data for the Determination of Water Quality in the Conservation Zone in Gabon: The Case of Lake Mandza

Abstract

Lake Mandza covers more than 4,000 ha and provides ecosystem services to an entire region located in the southwest of Gabon. In a context where in situ data are scarce, the aim of this work is to verify whether satellite data associated with those of transparency and surface temperatures can make it possible to detect a deterioration of the water quality of Lake Mandza. This study shows a spatio-temporal variation in water temperatures in Lake Mandza, which is characterized in particular by an increase of around 2 °C between 1987 and 2017. As for the analysis of the transparency data, it corroborates the hypothesis of a gradual deterioration of the water quality.