AMEC watches water for ESA

The

(ESA) has selected

for a $300,000 project that will use earth observation technology to assess the health of water bodies in the Everglades and

.

The sustainability project will involve the processing of satellite imagery to measure the impact of aeration systems and other management techniques used to improve water quality. Large and sustained blooms of algae plague Florida Bay and pose a potential threat to Cardiff Bay. Algae blooms are caused by excessive nitrogen, phosphorous and other nutrients from agricultural runoff or wastewater discharges. An overabundance of algae deprives fish and other marine life of the oxygen they need to survive.

"Our intent is to demonstrate the tremendous efficiency and economy of using earth observation technology to assess water quality in historically impaired or threatened water bodies," said Tim Conley, managing director of Earth & Environmental's Europe operations. "Normally, this has been accomplished by taking thousands of water samples."