EnglishCBAS – Cyanobacteria Bloom Alert
CBAS is an application used to monitor the cyanobacteria blooms of the Polish lakes. With the use of the satellite data, we conduct continuous observation of water reservoirs. Thanks to the mobile application, our users can receive warnings about the bloom of cyanobacteria.
About
CBAS is a project carried out in a Polish-French consortium aimed at providing infrastructure for continuous monitoring of inland waters in Poland and Europe. The pilot project focuses on the area of Kashubia and the Vistula Lagoon. The blooms of cyanobacteria occur in water bodies around the world in both inland waters as well as seas and oceans. Cyanobacteria Blooms are conditioned physicochemical factors such as sunlight, temperature, pH, and also on the composition of water. The contamination from fields and urban areas flowing into the water is of great importance in the formation of the blooms.
So far, about 40 species of cyanobacteria have been identified that are potentially toxic. It is estimated that about 50% of all water blooms are associated with the production of toxins. Harmful algal blooms have significant impact on the economy of coastal and tourist areas, as well as on human and animal health. Contact with toxins produced by cyanobacteria may cause acute skin reactions and is potentially dangerous. Blooms occurring in areas of great importance in fisheries lead to significant economic losses as well as to losses related to the reduction of tourism.
7000
There are so many lakes in Poland.
197
So many bathing areas were monitored by the State Sanitary Inspection in 2015
85%
Such part of all bathing areas monitored in 2015 met sanitary conditions.
50%
Over 50% of water reservoirs in Poland are characterized as favorable to flowering.
1 - 16
The time of water bloom in the reservoir varies from 1 to 16 weeks and depends on many factors.
How does it work?
STEP 1
Analysis of satellite data
We use satellite data from the European satellites Sentinel 2 and Sentinel 3 as well as satellite Landsat 8 belonging to NASA. We study the concentration of chlorophyll-a and phycocyanins in water reservoirs and on this basis we identify areas at risk of bloom.
STEP 2
Water sample analysis
The results of our algorithms are sent to specialists who then carry out microbiological tests of water in the indicated lakes. On this basis, we are able to evaluate the accuracy of the algorithms and confirm the threat.
STEP 3
Information about the threat
When the algorithms or microbiological test results indicate a threat, we inform users about it. The warnings are distributed through a dedicated mobile application and a mailing list.
