Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID LA_2024_Deng

Modeling and Forecasting Microcystin Contamination to Lake Pontchartrain

Institute: Louisiana
Year Established: 2024 Start Date: 2024-09-01 End Date: 2025-08-31
Total Federal Funds: $20,102 Total Non-Federal Funds: $20,102

Principal Investigators: Zhiqiang Deng

Project Summary: Microcystins have become a growing threat to the environment, economy, communities (particularly those living around Lake Pontchartrain), and human and animal health due to lack of efficient and effective management tools for proactive response. The proposed project aims to develop a microcystin management tool for the Pontchartrain Conservancy and the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality through the development of a satellite remote sensing-assisted, Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered model with sufficient lead-time for forecasting the concentration of microcystin. The microcystin forecasts from the proposed AI model would enable water quality monitoring programs to achieve a paradigm shift of microcystin management from primarily reacting to microcystin incidents after they have occurred to making timely decisions on intervening potentially contaminated waters prior to microcystin incidents, preventing microcystin-related human health problems and thus protecting public health. In addition, the project provides research and educational training opportunities for both graduate and undergraduate students.