W3 Seminar – From orbit to outfall: Using multi-scale data to understand nutrient enrichment in surface waters

Details

Speaker:
Natalie Nelson, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, North Carolina State University

Abstract:
In this presentation, I will share our team’s work using diverse hydrologic data to disentangle the effects of distinct water and nutrient sources on downstream water quality. Focusing on Lake Okeechobee as an illustrative case study, I will highlight our use of satellite imagery (Sentinel-3 OLCI) to track algal bloom export to the St. Lucie estuary, and analysis of hydrologic data to parse out the effects of engineered water releases on nutrient concentrations in the Caloosahatchee River estuary. I will then zoom out to the national scale and summarize gaps in existing water quality monitoring infrastructure and the ways in which these gaps may affect our understanding of nutrient fluxes at the landscape scale.