Satellites to help monitor developments in Wadden Sea

The two Sentinel satellites of the European space agency will soon start recording the Wadden Sea to help scientists monitor developments in the area. And that will be a big help, project leader Rick Hoeksema of the Rijkswaterstaat said to RTV Noord. Because now scientists will have access to quick and complete data instead of relying on incidental measurements or fixed measuring poles.

The two Sentinels will record the Wadden area, among other things, every five days with specialized cameras. These images can show scientists how much chlorophyll is in the Wadden Sea and how much slit is floating in the water - two crucial factors for managing a healthy sea, Hoeksema explained.

“Until now, we have done the silt measurements with measuring poles, which are placed at fixed spots in the water, so you don’t have a picture of the entire Wadden Sea,” Hoeksema said. “Leaf green [chlorophyll] has not been measured for 40 years, only on a project basis, but not for a long period of time and certainly not for the entire area. That is now possible with the satellites, which is a huge leap.”

“The fact that you can now almost continuously follow the development of chlorophyll, algae, over the entire Wadden Sea is very cool. That greenery is important for all life in the Wadden Sea. It is the basis of the food pyramid. Less greenery means fewer fish, birds, and seals can live there. With the data we now have, we can calculate the effect of chlorophyll concentration on the food chain. We want to keep a close eye on that, especially due to climate change.”

Being able to keep an eye on the silt development in the entire area is also of great added value, Hoeksema told the local broadcaster. “Then you can also see, for example, what the effect of dredging is and to what extent the turbidity of the water affects the growth of algae. We now use models for that, to predict and prevent problems, but it is amazing if you can follow that live.”