Remote Sensing of the Nearshore

The scope of this project aims to characterize underwater light distribution and its controlling factors in Lake Tahoe and other lakes in Sierra Nevada both by field observations and laboratory analyses. Information and data has been collected and applied to numerically evaluate apparent water color (Lake Tahoe Blueness Index) and to develop models for environmental monitoring by using satellite imagery.

TERC data reveals that lake color shows dynamic seasonal transition. Further understanding of the mechanism will tell us what can be done to conserve the aesthetic value of the lake in future. Ongoing remote sensing model development will enable us to conduct spatiotemporal analyses of lake condition in the coming era of hyperspectral remote sensing.

Funding:

SNPLMA - Remote sensing of Lake Tahoe's Near shore environment
NSF RAPID - Assessing the sentinel responses of lake ecosystems to Rim fire

Collaborators:
Susan Ustin (CSTARS, UC Davis)
Simon Hook, Michelle Gireach (NASA-JPL)
Wawrick Vincent (Laval University Canada)
Craig Williamson (Miami University, OH)

Quantitative measure of water color, a. CIE xyY and b. CIE l*a*b* color spaces. Values obtained in the offshore sites of Lake Tahoe (TB3 and LTP) are indicated as circles and small lakes in southwest shore of Lake Tahoe (Emerald Bay and Cascade Lake) as triangles.