Role of General Aviation in promoting Citizen Science: A Pilot Study of Water Quality Monitoring in Western Lake Erie

Lake Erie is one of the five Great Lakes in North America surrounded by Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and the province of Ontario. This lake is a great natural resource for recreation, fresh drinking water, and the... [ view full abstract ]

Lake Erie is one of the five Great Lakes in North America surrounded by Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and the province of Ontario. This lake is a great natural resource for recreation, fresh drinking water, and the hydroelectric power to millions of people. In recent years, the lake's environmental health has been a growing concern. The issue of algal bloom is now a major concern. In the first week of August, 2014 the city of Toledo had to shut down the water supply for three days due to algal bloom problem.
The community of general aviation (GA) pilots can play an important role in protecting and preserving this great natural resource by monitoring presence of algal bloom since these pilots fly at relatively low altitudes under visual flight rules (VFR). In this presentation we present a proof-of-concept flight study over Lake Erie from June to September 2014. The stunningly high-quality aerial photographs and videos show an early onset of algal bloom, river plumes, sediment dynamics, and flow patterns which can be used by academia and others in their research and K-12 education. The images, free of any blur and propeller artifacts, were obtained every 5 seconds and matched with geo-referenced data tracking can be used to advance several scientific disciplines. These images can also offer an early warning system to alert communities of ensuing algal bloom along the coastline.
Disclaimer: Dr. Ansari is a Senior Scientist with NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Ohio but the work presented here is done in his own time (not funded by NASA). Mr. Schubert is a retired educator from Berea School District in Ohio. He is also an Experimental airplane builder and Editor of Experimental Aircraft Support Publication. They enjoy flying over the beautiful Lake Erie and deeply care for its health.