1. State Agency Needs for Remote Sensing Data Related to Water Quality By Bob Van Dolah Marine Resources Research Institute South Carolina Department of Natural Resources Charleston, SC

2.  Department of Health and Environmental Control Regulatory Authority for Water Quality, NPDES permits, etc South Carolina Monitoring Programs  Department of Natural Resources Regulatory Authority for Biological Resources

3.  Department of Health and Environmental Control Ambient Surface Water Monitoring Program Mid 1970s to present Fixed sites sampled monthly every year Freshwater (286 sites) Estuaries (58 sites) Water Quality and Sediment Quality Limited biological data – none in estuaries South Carolina Monitoring Programs

5.  Department of Natural Resources Fishery Resource Monitoring Numerous inshore and offshore programs State-wide and regional scale All important species Limited water quality data South Carolina Monitoring Programs Environmental Monitoring Issue driven (pollution, habitat alterations) No general monitoring prior to 1999

6.  Joint SCDNR / SCDHEC program  Integrates water and sediment quality monitoring with biological (response) measures  Increases spatial coverage, but most sampling limited to once per year New Agency Programs South Carolina Estuarine and Coastal Assessment Program (SCECAP)

8. New Agency Programs Harmful Algal Bloom Monitoring Program (HAB)  SCDNR / USC/ SCDHEC / SC Sea Grant program  Samples nutrients and phytoplankton in coastal zone  Estuaries, bays, sounds, retention ponds – not offshore

10.  USC/NC State  Coastal shelf is primary focus, may include some inshore sites  Planned cooperative efforts with SCDNR fisheries research issues Other New Programs Carolinian Coastal Ocean Observing and Prediction System (Caro-COOPS)

12. Parameters of Interest to Agencies  Known Capabilities Chlorophyll Turbidity  Unknown Capabilities Nitrogen Salinity/density Dissolved Oxygen Water Flow Rates and Movements

13. Remote Sensing Data Needs  Need better understanding of what parameters can be accurately measured Chl-a? Accuracy in inland areas? Detection limits in range of concern (5, 20  g/L) Accuracy in salt versus fresh water systems Turbidity? What units Detection limits (25 mg/L) Accuracy in salt versus fresh water

14. Remote Sensing Data Available?  Other Parameters Nitrogen – (nitrates?) TOC? Water Flow / Loadings Information? Oxygen? Contaminants? - Oil spills  Frequency and Availability  Cost  Lag Time for Interpreted Products

15. Other Issues  Not likely to be useful for regulatory purposes  Not likely to be substitution for field sampling Multiple parameters need to be measured anyway  Potential value in tracking source of problem e.g. turbidity sources Depends on lag time in receiving interpreted products

16. Offshore Imagery Products  Tracking water movements using temperature, density, etc  Adding spatial component to continuous monitoring platforms Chl-a, nutrients, temperature, salinity  Tracking fate of rare HAB blooms