Welcome to the Tutorial Ocean Colour in the Coastal Zone

Did you know...

...that about 21 million euros of damages was caused by an algal bloom reaching the Dutch mussel and oyster fields in 2001?

Algal bloom warning sign.

Why is coastal water quality important?

Coastal water quality is something that influences our daily lives. Approximately 41% of the world's population is living within 100 km of the coastline (Martinez et al., 2007). Coastal water quality is affected by human activities such as fisheries. Numerous consumer products such as shellfish are produced in the coastal zone.

Development of an algal bloom.

In this tutorial you will learn...

... what role light has for life in the sea and our safety
... what the effect is of discharging an excess of nutrients
... how remote sensing can help to indicate eutrophication
... what the effects of algal blooms are on our health
... how to interpret satellite and airborne images in terms of
pollutants
... what can be done to improve our coastal water quality.