Assessment of the possibility of using remote sensing methods for measuring eutrophication of inland water reservoirs

The development of satellite technologies for observing the earth’s surface creates the possibility of implementing modern tools for surface waters quality monitoring. This article presents the results of the research aimed at developing an automated method for assessment of the eutrophication of inland waters. The advantages and limitations of the technology were analyzed and the potential possibilities of its application were described. The basic indicator of the trophic state of surface waters is the concentration of chlorophyll-a in the water. As result of the research, a strong relationship was obtained between the chlorophyll-a concentration values determined on the basis of standard measurement methods, and the chlorophyll-a values calculated on the basis of satellite spectral data. The functionalities of the developed software for automated measuring eutrophication of inland water using temote sensing were also presented. Despite a number of limitations of the technology, high application potential of the solution has been demonstrated.