composition of the oil flowing from Lambro into Po River. The atmospherically
corrected reflectance achieved with ATCOR-4 shows the different behaviour of the
signal coming from the very turbid Po River waters with respect to those of Lambro
River, where the oil film produce a spectral signature that is comparable to literature
data [89].
In this application, the clear advantages of MIVIS were the flexibility of timing
of flight and its spatial resolution. Further studies would need to better investigate
the hyperspectral signal coming from oil in order to fully exploit the capabilities of
this sensor which spans from visible to near-short wave and thermal infrared.
5 Conclusions
The quality of surface water in lakes, streams and reservoirs is a major concern
around the world. Inland waters might be often strongly affected by changes due to
the increasing anthropogenic pressure and meteo-climatic variations [91,
92]. These ecosystems are inestimable renewable natural resources for biodiversity
and may also represent an essential strategic water supply for agriculture, industry,
fishing and drinking water. In many countries lakes are an important resource for
recreation and tourism with attractive landscape, mild climate and safe water
quality. Therefore, any effort placed for preserving and/or improving the quality
of these resources is justified.
In such a framework, remote sensing offers a useful tool for a variety of studies
which need multi-scale analyses. Because imaging spectrometry provides a continuous signal of reflected radiation from visible to infrared wavelengths, it provides
a means to investigate a variety of key bio-physical parameters such as phytoplankton pigments or bottom substrata types. In particular, airborne imaging spectrometry gathers data with a spatial resolution often more suitable for the fine-scale
studies developed for freshwater aquatic ecology [93].
This chapter presented an overview of imaging spectrometry for Case-2 optically complex waters that, besides marine coastal zones, also include inland waters.
The case studies of Italian lakes and rivers show how data acquired from the
airborne MIVIS sensors can be used to: (1) assess chl-a, SPM and CDOM concentrations; (2) detect cyanobacteria bloom; and (3) map submerged macrophyte
colonisation patterns and their recent changes. Two applications using MIVIS to
recognise floating materials are presented by focusing on the advantages of a fine
spatial scale and a flexible flight path, which are mandatory to monitor water quality
in rivers and streams because of temporally dynamic conditions [94].
Hyperspectral airborne observations will keep contributing to freshwater aquatic
ecology studies and water quality monitoring as a very efficient means to extend
laboratory and ground-based measurements at local and regional scales. To fill the
gap in scale from regional to global, satellite missions that deploy imaging spectrometers for regular acquisitions (e.g. Landsat) are instead required (e.g. HyspIRI).
Imaging Spectrometry of Inland Water Quality in Italy Using MIVIS: An Overview
77
corrected reflectance achieved with ATCOR-4 shows the different behaviour of the
signal coming from the very turbid Po River waters with respect to those of Lambro
River, where the oil film produce a spectral signature that is comparable to literature
data [89].
In this application, the clear advantages of MIVIS were the flexibility of timing
of flight and its spatial resolution. Further studies would need to better investigate
the hyperspectral signal coming from oil in order to fully exploit the capabilities of
this sensor which spans from visible to near-short wave and thermal infrared.
5 Conclusions
The quality of surface water in lakes, streams and reservoirs is a major concern
around the world. Inland waters might be often strongly affected by changes due to
the increasing anthropogenic pressure and meteo-climatic variations [91,
92]. These ecosystems are inestimable renewable natural resources for biodiversity
and may also represent an essential strategic water supply for agriculture, industry,
fishing and drinking water. In many countries lakes are an important resource for
recreation and tourism with attractive landscape, mild climate and safe water
quality. Therefore, any effort placed for preserving and/or improving the quality
of these resources is justified.
In such a framework, remote sensing offers a useful tool for a variety of studies
which need multi-scale analyses. Because imaging spectrometry provides a continuous signal of reflected radiation from visible to infrared wavelengths, it provides
a means to investigate a variety of key bio-physical parameters such as phytoplankton pigments or bottom substrata types. In particular, airborne imaging spectrometry gathers data with a spatial resolution often more suitable for the fine-scale
studies developed for freshwater aquatic ecology [93].
This chapter presented an overview of imaging spectrometry for Case-2 optically complex waters that, besides marine coastal zones, also include inland waters.
The case studies of Italian lakes and rivers show how data acquired from the
airborne MIVIS sensors can be used to: (1) assess chl-a, SPM and CDOM concentrations; (2) detect cyanobacteria bloom; and (3) map submerged macrophyte
colonisation patterns and their recent changes. Two applications using MIVIS to
recognise floating materials are presented by focusing on the advantages of a fine
spatial scale and a flexible flight path, which are mandatory to monitor water quality
in rivers and streams because of temporally dynamic conditions [94].
Hyperspectral airborne observations will keep contributing to freshwater aquatic
ecology studies and water quality monitoring as a very efficient means to extend
laboratory and ground-based measurements at local and regional scales. To fill the
gap in scale from regional to global, satellite missions that deploy imaging spectrometers for regular acquisitions (e.g. Landsat) are instead required (e.g. HyspIRI).
Imaging Spectrometry of Inland Water Quality in Italy Using MIVIS: An Overview
77