Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID 2005PR20B

Monitoring Nutrients Content in the San Juan Bay Estuary using Hyperspectral Remote Sensing

Institute: Puerto Rico
Year Established: 2005 Start Date: 2004-03-01 End Date: 2008-12-31
Total Federal Funds: $80,000 Total Non-Federal Funds: $101,624

Principal Investigators: Fernando Gilbes

Project Summary: The San Juan Bay National Estuary System (SJBNES) is located in the northern coast of Puerto Rico contained within a drainage basin of 240 square kilometres The estuary consists of the San Juan bay connected by a series of natural and dredged channels to four lagoons: Laguna del Condado, Laguna San JosLaguna La Torrecilla, and Laguna de Pis. Point and non-point source water pollution is a potential threat to preserving the current environmental balance at the site and to the Atlantic Ocean, where the estuary discharges. Most of these pollution problems are associated with excessive nutrients loadings (i.e., nitrogen, ammonia, phosphorus) reaching the bay, particularly to the Laguna San Jos Eutrophication conditions prevail at this site due to such excessive nutrients loadings. The use of satellite sensors, through remote sensing imaging techniques, is a state-of-the art procedure currently used to assess environmental pollution problems around the world. Hyperion is a hyperspectral imaging sensor that could provide the necessary spatial and spectral resolution to monitor nutrients contamination at a complex land ecosystem such as the SJBNES. The objective of this project is to design and validate a mathematical algorithm, based on the reflectance characteristics of bacteria present in the nitrification process, to be used as a proxy for nutrients contamination monitoring through the use of the Hyperion satellite sensor at the SJBNES. This research project will serve as the Doctor in Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree dissertation in Civil Engineering for Luis F. Campos.