Aquawatch Australia to issue world’s first water quality forecasts

AquaWatch Australia is a project that will issue the world’s first water quality forecasts. Researchers will combine data from satellites and sensors on the ground to provide early warning of potentially harmful events such as algal bloom, blackwater and runoff contamination.

These events are driven by rainfall, temperature and other weather factors. Blackwater occurs when floods wash organic material into rivers, turning the water black. As the material decomposes it can take all the oxygen out of the water, producing hypoxia which kills fish and other creatures.

Algal blooms occur when simple marine plants grow out of control, often as the result of wind and water currents or unusually high temperatures. Blooms can be toxic, or again may deplete oxygen levels.

AquaWatch Australia is a collaboration led by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO). The project has six pilot sites: one at Lake Tuggeranong in Canberra, a popular recreation spot, will monitor blue-green algae blooms. Another looks at the impact on water quality of sediment flow from the Fitzroy River out to the Great Barrier Reef.

The project should also pave the way for similar initiatives worldwide via the international scientific collaboration GEO. Ultimately every country could have an AquaWatch to monitor and predict water quality for drinking and sanitation as well as tourism and nature conservation.