Lake Okeechobee is Florida’s largest freshwater lake and a focal point for state restoration efforts. This story focuses on two contrasting years at Lake Okeechobee: 2017, when Hurricane Irma triggered a lake-wide turbidity event, and 2023, when harmful algal blooms were particularly prevalent. Together, they illustrate how satellite-derived monitoring captures very different types of water-quality events at the same location. The story also recommends the same approach to serve water quality management across Florida and the States.

A lake under constant pressure

Lake Okeechobee covers roughly 1,900 km². Decades of nutrient pollution, sediment disturbance, and storm impacts have driven recurring harmful algal blooms and declining water quality, with real consequences:

• Recurring beach and boat-ramp closures
• Toxin levels spiking far above safe thresholds during peak blooms

Satellite data closes the gap

Sunlight passes through the water column, interacts with algae and sediment, and reflects back to the satellite sensor. EOMAP’s physics-based retrieval model turns that signal into quantitative water quality data, down to the Secchi depth, at up to daily revisit rates.

When Hurricane Irma struck in September 2017, this approach captured the resulting turbidity spike within days and tracked its decline over the following seven months. In 2023, it mapped algal bloom conditions across the entire lake.

From one lake to the whole state: supporting Clean Water Act obligations

The continuous, lake-wide and quantitative data shown at Lake Okeechobee also helps meet Clean Water Act obligations. Under the Act, FDEP assesses Florida’s waters, identifies impaired waterbodies and documents their restoration. Satellite monitoring complements field programs, helps focus sampling where it matters most, and provides an independent, well-documented record. The approach can be applied to any Florida waterbody, for example:

• Statewide assessment, including rarely sampled lakes and estuaries
• Restoration and BMAP tracking, for example in the Everglades, the Indian River Lagoon and the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie estuaries
• Harmful algal bloom early warning
• Post-storm impact and recovery tracking
• Monitoring near permitted discharges, dredging and construction
• Coastal water quality, bathymetry and habitat mapping

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The project benefits significantly from the expertise of our partners, the Finnish Meteorological Institute and Snowcap, Belgium.

Precise data needed to optimise energy production

Information about snow depth (SD) and the water volume stored in snow (snow water equivalent – SWE) is particularly crucial for the hydropower sector. Especially during Spring when the snow melts, there is a need for precise data on both to optimise energy production. However, retrieving SD and SWE data in extensive mountainous regions by traditional methods, such as in-situ measurements or Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) overflights, is not only limited in time and personnel. It is also highly expensive to execute.

A new approach to estimate water reserves in snow

Now, SnowPower represents a solution to cover wider geographical areas in more detail, more efficiently and at lower cost than ever before: Using state-of-the-art technology, our partner SnowCap retrieves precise snow depth information from active radar data in vast areas. Combining this satellite-retrieved data with advanced data assimilation techniques, a physics-based snow model is fed to generate daily Snow Water Equivalent (SWE) information at a resolution of 500 meters.

This results in:

📏 Seamless SWE data availability for vast mountainous regions, such as Scandinavia or the entire Alpine arch
🗺️ Merged SWE information for non-mountainous areas, offering comprehensive regional coverage
📈 Enhanced visualization, export, and analysis via eoapp HYPOS by EOMAP to support decision-making processes.

Within this project, we support the Enel Group in managing reservoir levels and optimising electricity production of their hydropower plants across the Alpine and Apennine areas.

SnowPower is developed under ESA’s Business Application and Space Solutions programme.

Let’s connect

Please contact our R&I team for more details.

Read more in this article on ESA’s business platform.

E-mail to our team for the recordings of the SnowPower webinar.

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TESA aims to provide new insights into these riverine ecosystems by the example of the Elbe River: The German research project led by the Elbe River Basin Community (FGG Elbe) focuses on the temporary lack of oxygen in the tidal Elbe during summer and dives deep into its causes. The issue has supra-regional implications for many stakeholders along the Elbe River basin. EOMAP contributes to the project with water quality analyses using its online solution eoapp AQUA.

Why oxygen levels matter

Low-oxygen zones in rivers are harmful to existing fish population and the ecosystem’s biodiversity. Furthermore, these zones pose a barrier for migratory fish and lamprey species. As part of their life cycle, these fish depend upon migrating from the sea into the flowing waters of the entire Elbe River catchment including the Hamburg harbour area. The “oxygen valley” is a result of hydromorphological changes caused by human interventions, such as bank protection, port expansion, and flood protection measures, along with nutrient enrichment and algal biomass buildup in the Middle Elbe.

How we contribute

EOMAP is contributing to the project

• by retrospective data analysis to reveal trends in water quality evolution, applying eoapp AQUA.
• Until April 2025, we continue monitoring various water quality parameters such as turbidity, inorganic absorptions, Chlorophyll or yellow substances, in near real-time.
• For this purpose, we process data of 3 x 3 m high resolution Planet SuperDove sensors with daily repetition rates.

The research target

The screenshot taken from eoapp AQUA below shows turbidity levels on the Elbe River around the port of Hamburg. The orange colour indicates high turbidity levels in the tidal zones as well as in the middle parts of the river and a reduced turbidity in the harbour area. Correlating these data with oxygen levels measured by in situ campaigns might help introduce earth observation (EO) measurements as proxy parameters. We hope to unveil oxygen level patterns associated with changes in water quality parameters, which will finally generate a deep understanding of oxygen deficiency situations in the river system.

The Elbe River Basin Community (FGG) is a group of experts from German federal institutions and state authorities. It coordinates and harmonises the management of water bodies and flood risks of the Elbe River basin on national and international levels, aligning with the Water Framework Directive (WFD) of the European Commission.

For more details, please get in touch with the water quality team.

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The international Catch-Mekong project aims to provide research and technology for the sustainable management of natural resources in the Mekong basin with a special focus on the delta region. Main topics include saltwater intrusion, land use and river and coastal morphology.

The Catch-Mekong project’s main goal is to integrate Earth observation and in-situ monitoring with water quality models and data for the Mekong Delta. This will provide a tool to support decision-making on salinification, coastal instabilities and specific environmental challenges.

EOMAP processed all available satellite imagery from the Landsat archive for the whole of the middle and downstream section of the Mekong river to derive time-series information on water quality parameters such as turbidity. This information is used by scientists from the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) and is included in the modelling of sediment dynamics for the Mekong basin.

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In July 2015 EOMAP established long-term water quality monitoring services for the American branch of British multi-national consultancy company Wood Plc (formerly Amec Foster Wheeler). The areas of interest, Lake Elsinore and Canyon Lake, are located south-east of Los Angeles in Riverside County, California.

Lake Elsinore is the largest natural freshwater reservoir in southern California, fed by the San Jacinto river. The lake has suffered from the severe draught in California during recent years, with massively changing water levels and the frequent occurrence of harmful cyanobacteria blooms in late fall. A multi-million dollar project was set up to stabilise the lake ecosystem. In 2007 an aeration system was installed on the bottom of the lake to prevent fish kills.

Canyon Lake is an artificial reservoir just north-east of Lake Elsinore. Its shorelines are densely populated. The lake serves as a drinking water reservoir for about 10% of the people living in the area around both lakes. It is also fed by the San Jacinto River.

EOMAP uses combined Sentinel-2 and Landsat 7 and 8 data in order to evaluate turbidity levels, chlorophyll concentrations and the occurrence of harmful algae blooms at eight points in time during the year. The project has been extended twice by Wood Plc.

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In Europe, as in other parts of the world, freshwater resources are limited and face increasing pressures, including those from climate change, which could have severe consequences for water quality.

EOMAP is a partner in SPACE-O, an EU-funded project to develop an operational service platform designed to increase interoperability between Earth observations and modelled services. By providing better information on water quality and quantity, SPACE-O aims to improve water supply, address environmental challenges and support EU policy implementation through a range of new products and services.

SPACE-O integrates state-of-the-art satellite technology and in-situ monitoring with advanced hydrological and water quality models and ICT tools, into a powerful decision support system. This generates real-time, short- to medium-term forecasting of water flows and quality data in reservoirs, used to optimise water treatment plant operations and establish a complete service line from science to the water business sector.

EOMAP is responsible for the operational processing of Earth observation data for the reservoirs of Aposelemis (Crete) and Mulargia (Sardinia) and is involved in further development of products and algorithms. Measured parameters include chlorophyll-a, turbidity, surface temperature and harmful algae blooms. Data is available from the fully operational water information portal.

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