Out of the blue: Australia's waters get a health check from above

What's the best tool to detect blue-green algae? A microscope...or a satellite?

It turns out that getting a satellite's view allows us to not only detect large algal blooms, but also track them as they grow and move. In fact, many inland and coastal water quality issues can be seen from space using the right satellite sensors. This opens the door to continental-scale water quality monitoring.

We’re incorporating this technology into AquaWatch Australia, our mission to develop a nationwide ‘weather service’ for water quality. We're harnessing the ability to measure water quality issues from 600km away in space. In doing so, we can deliver much-needed data across wide areas for health, environment and industry.

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Taxonomy

• Algae
• Satellite