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Empirical and semi-analytical chlorophyll a algorithms for multi-temporal monitoring of New Zealand lakes using Landsat

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Abstract

The concentration of chlorophyll a (chl a; as a proxy for phytoplankton biomass) provides an indication of the water quality and ecosystem health of lakes. An automated image processing method for Landsat images was used to derive chl a concentrations in 12 Rotorua lakes of North Island, New Zealand, with widely varying trophic status. Semi-analytical and empirical models were used to process 137 Landsat 7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper (ETM+) images using records from 1999 to 2013. Atmospheric correction used radiative transfer modelling, with atmospheric conditions prescribed with Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Terra and AIRS data. The best-performing semi-analytical and empirical equations resulted in similar levels of variation explained (r 2 = 0.68 for both equations) and root-mean-square error (RMSE = 10.69 and 10.43 μg L−1, respectively) between observed and estimated chl a. However, the symbolic regression algorithm performed better for chl a concentrations <5 μg L−1. Our Landsat-based algorithms provide a valuable method for synoptic assessments of chl a across the 12 lakes in this region. They also provide a basis for assessing changes in chl a individual lakes through time. Our methods provide a basis for cost-effective hindcasting of lake trophic status at a regional scale, informing on spatial variability of chl a within and between lakes.

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Acknowledgments

Funding was provided by the Bay of Plenty Regional Council (BOPRC) and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (contract UOWX0505). This work benefited from participation in the Global Lakes Ecological Observatory Network (GLEON). We thank Bay of Plenty Regional Council for providing the measured data for water quality variables, in particular Paul Scholes, Glenn Ellery and Gareth Evans. Dr Matt Pinkerton (National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, New Zealand) provided technical guidance. Dr Hirokazu Yamamoto (Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Japan) gave valuable feedback on atmospheric correction calculations. Richard Lamont (UOW) compiled 6sv for Windows.

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  1. Environmental Research Institute, The University of Waikato, Private Bag 3105, Hamilton, 3240, New Zealand

    Mathew G. Allan, David P. Hamilton, Brendan Hicks & Lars Brabyn

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  1. Mathew G. Allan
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Correspondence to Mathew G. Allan.

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Allan, M.G., Hamilton, D.P., Hicks, B. et al. Empirical and semi-analytical chlorophyll a algorithms for multi-temporal monitoring of New Zealand lakes using Landsat. Environ Monit Assess 187, 364 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-015-4585-4

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