High-resolution satellite observations reveal extensive algal blooms in both small and large lakes in China

Hou，Xuejiao1; Feng，Lian2

2023-06-01

10.1016/j.horiz.2023.100054

Sustainable Horizons   Impact Factor & Quartile

2772-7378

Algal blooms in large lakes (such as Taihu, etc.) in China have attracted widespread concern, while the bloom patterns in small lakes (1–10 m, accounting for 74.3% of the lakes in China) remain unknown. Using high spatiotemporal resolution Sentinel-2 MultiSpectral Instrument (MSI) observations during 2019–2021, we investigated algal blooms in 17,549 lakes in China (with surface areas ranging from 0.1 to 2398.3 km). All the examined lakes were divided into three classes (small: <10 km, medium: 10–100 km, and large: >100 km) to understand the algal bloom patterns in lakes of different sizes. The results demonstrated that the bloom phenologies and intensities of all the studied lakes exhibited pronounced latitudinal gradients. The bloom months (BMs) increased with decreasing latitude, while the bloom start months (BSms) gradually delayed with increasing latitude. The difference in bloom intensity in lakes of different sizes was not pronounced, small lakes showed comparable bloom severities as large lakes, with a median of approximately 5 BMs per year. Many small lakes (i.e., <10 km), especially some urban lakes, which have rarely received attention, are also experiencing severe bloom problems. Driving force analysis suggested that the algal blooms were primarily influenced by temperature either on a national scale or across different lake groups. These results could provide baseline information for the water quality management of lakes in China.

Algal bloom Bloom intensity Bloom phenology Sentinel-2 Small lakes

English

Corresponding

National Natural Science Foundation of China[41971304];National Natural Science Foundation of China[42271322];

2-s2.0-85165024832

Scopus

1.School of Geospatial Engineering and Science,Sun Yat-Sen University,Guangzhou,China
2.School of Environmental Science and Engineering,Southern University of Science and Technology,Shenzhen,China

Hou，Xuejiao,Feng，Lian. High-resolution satellite observations reveal extensive algal blooms in both small and large lakes in China[J]. Sustainable Horizons,2023,6.

Hou，Xuejiao,&Feng，Lian.(2023).High-resolution satellite observations reveal extensive algal blooms in both small and large lakes in China.Sustainable Horizons,6.

Hou，Xuejiao,et al."High-resolution satellite observations reveal extensive algal blooms in both small and large lakes in China".Sustainable Horizons 6(2023).