Assessment of The trophic state and Chlorophyll-a concentrations using Landsat OLI in Karaoun reservoir, Lebanon

Fadel, A., Faour G. and Slim K. 2016. Assessment of the trophic state and chlorophyll-a concentrations using Landsat OLI in Karaoun reservoir, Lebanon. Lebanese Science Journal, 17(2): 130-145. Harmful algal blooms have become a worldwide environmental problem. A regular and cost-effective monitoring of these blooms is highly needed by lakes managers. Satellite remote sensing imagery like Landsat Operational Land Imager (OLI) can be used to assess and monitor chlorophyll-a in water bodies over large areas in a cost-effective way. In this study, the accuracy of Landsat OLI to estimate chlorophyll-a was examined. Four field campaigns and cloud free images of Landsat OLI with 30 m resolution (01 May 2013, 21 August 2013, 10 July 2015, and 11 August 2015) were used in this study to determine the accuracy of Landsat OLI in estimating chlorophyll-a in a 12 km2 freshwater body, Karaoun reservoir. After atmospheric correction of these images, reflectance of single and multiple band combinations were compared to field chlorophyll-a data. Results of field campaigns showed that the trophic state of Karaoun reservoir is still eutrophic to hypereutrophic with high nutrient concentration and low phytoplankton biodiversity, dominated by cyanobacteria species, Microcystis aeruginosa and Aphanizomenon ovalisporum. On single band level, the in situ chlorophyll-a measurement correlated best with band 5 (0.85 - 0.88 µm), with R=0.75 and R2=0.57. Highest correlation (R=0.84 and R2=0.72) was obtained using band combination, B2:B4 band ratio multiplied by B5. Results indicated that Landsat OLI can be used effectively to determine chlorophyll-a concentration in lakes and reservoirs. We recommend the application of Landsat OLI as a satisfactory and cost effective method for monitoring chlorophyll-a in other lakes through-out the worl