Milestone #4: Large-scale dredging monitoring using satellite-based turbidity mapping.

In 2007, Woodside energy required a reliable water quality monitoring approach to meet environmental regulations. The area in Northwest Australia covered around 1.000 square kilometers of coastal waters. EOMAP used physics-based algorithms to create turbidity maps from satellite data, delivering results on average every two days over more than two years.

The goal of the project was to establish a reliable, regular large-scale turbidity monitoring system for pipeline related dredging operations.

A key objective was to track and quantify dredge plumes consistently over time and monitor their proximity to environmental sensitive areas. Traditional methods, such as in situ, only provided point-based measurements. Airborne monitoring would have resulted in substantially increased costs.

For the first time, this project demonstrated that satellite-based turbidity mapping can support large-scale dredging operations in the Oil & Gas industry.

• More than 430 satellite-derived water quality data sets were delivered. They covered an area of 1.000 square kilometers over a period of approximately two years.
• The main spatial resolution was delivered at 250 meters, but various other data sets with up to 3m spatial resolution were utilized for independent verification and monitoring of two records a day.
• Continuous mapping enabled accurate tracking of turbidity patterns to support environmental monitoring and decision-making at a high frequency interval.

“With the professional support from EOMAP and a fast-tracked delivery of daily satellite products the governmental monitoring obligations could be fulfilled and created a first in Australia for such operational use in the Oil & Gas industry.” says Dr. Peter Hausknecht, former chairman of the IOGP Earth Observation subcommittee and SME for remote sensing at Woodside Energy at the time.

With that, the project proved that large-scale, non-invasive monitoring can be both reliable and cost-effective.

Learn More

• Here are more details on “</yoastmark”>”</yoastmark”>”</yoastmark”>”</yoastmark”>”</yoastmark”>”</yoastmark”>”</yoastmark”>”</yoastmark”>”</yoastmark”>”</yoastmark”>”</yoastmark”>”</yoastmark”>”</yoastmark”>”</yoastmark”>”_blank” rel=”noopener”>this project.
• Check the Dr. Peter Hausknecht’s presentation at the OGP Remote Sensing workshop held at ESA.

Follow along and share your memories as we look back on 20 years EOMAP!

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Winter is a challenging period for the hydropower sector. In her feature “Winter hydropower operations in focus: from reactive to proactive management” for the online mag “Power Technology”, Scarlett Evans outlines problems and challenges the cold season poses, but also innovative solutions to address these.

Peak electricity demand

Hydropower’s winter vulnerability is growing. Peak demand coincides with infrastructure stress and limited water availability. Climate-driven shifts, such as variable precipitation, mid-season thaws, or rapid snowmelt add complexity. Advanced monitoring and predictive systems are now critical for proactive operations.

Near realtime snow estimates

In her article, Evans makes the case for accurate snow data: ‘According to the European Space Agency (ESA), during the winter more than 50% of the water used for hydropower production in colder climates is stored as snow. Accurately measuring that storage is essential for managing flood risks, anticipating potential drought and forecasting power generation.’

Furthermore, International Hydropower Association (IHA) vice-chair Dr Óli Sveinsson states: ‘With increased monitoring and longer lead inflow, forecasting changes can be anticipated and production planning optimised.’

Satellite technology for forecasting

In this context, the author introduces – among others – the SnowPower solution: ‘Integrating satellite and radar sensors from the ESA’s Sentinel-1 constellation, the system retrieves snow depth information across vast and often inaccessible areas, allowing operators to monitor snow water equivalent and melt dynamics‘, before quoting SnowPower project manager Sina Starmans: ‘Better data helps them decide when to generate more or less power, anticipate excess water, and ultimately maximise energy production from the available snow water equivalent.’ Evans also highlights the value of historical data for identifying long-term shifts in snowmelt patterns and supporting future infrastructure planning.

Towards more resilience in hydropower

The author concludes that the challenge no longer is to withstand extreme cold, but to anticipate how shifting snowmelt and freeze-thaw cycles affect water availability weeks or months in advance. According to Óli Sveinsson, hydrology should be seen as a dynamic rather than stationary force in the future. Moreover, he expects applying climate data and modelling to increase resilience of hydropower installations.

Read the full article here.

Let’s connect

Please contact Sina Starmans and the water quality team.

Check out more on SnowPower here.

In their graphic story “Starving the Mekong”, Reuters’ team shows the huge impact hydropower projects have on sediment flow along the Mekong River. By amazing visual storytelling they follow the longest river in Southeast Asia nearly 5,000 kilometres downstream from the Plateau of Tibet to the South China Sea.

“Studies estimate that 96% of the sediment load will be trapped once all dams proposed in the Mekong Basin are in operation”, it says.

And this was EOMAP’s part: Together with Reuters we analysed over 1,500 satellite images around four major dams. Turbidity served as a proxy for sediment levels, an approach that we had validated on various rivers before.

🛰 In this case, like in many other river monitoring cases, the view from space offers 3 key advantages:

 

1. Go back in time: The images for the Mekong analysis date back to the 1990s, which “allows us to calculate turbidity levels before many of the dams were built,” says our data analyst Philipp Bauer.

2. Detect changes: Comparing data over three decades makes impacts on sediment flow visible.

3. Get the big picture: Geospatial data offer a view on the entire river catchment. It also enables to investigate the impacts of each cascade.

Christopher Howe of WWF has commented as follows: “Hydro dams may, in the right places, help reduce carbon emissions. But in the case of the Mekong they trap the life force of the river, the sediment. This increases the climate vulnerability of many millions of people, huge sectors of the economy of Cambodia and Viet Nam, and the incredibly valuable and diverse biodiversity of the region.”

To reduce such drastic impacts, we have – together with European partners – developed a new toolbox. With HYPOS, we wish to support sustainable hydropower planning, for the sake of nature and people.

We congratulate Kanupriya Kapoor, Simon Scarr and their colleagues of Thomson Reuters on this great work.