Abstract
Algal blooms in tropical reservoirs can affect water quality and resource management, but continuous monitoring is often limited by the low frequency of in situ sampling. This study assessed algal bloom potential through a reproducible workflow integrating remote sensing and meteorology. Satellite time series of chlorophyll-a and a complementary indicator of floating cyanobacteria were analyzed together with precipitation and daily temperatures aggregated to the same temporal interval. Processing included clipping the area of interest, quality and coverage control, calculation of spatiotemporal statistics, recurrence maps, monthly synthesis, nonparametric lagged correlations, and an operational bloom-potential classification based on robust exceedances. The results showed intra-annual variability of chlorophyll-a with areas of spatial recurrence, weak meteorological associations, and a minimal floating-cyanobacteria signal, supporting the use of this approach for regional monitoring and sampling prioritization.
References
T. D. Harris et al., “What makes a cyanobacterial bloom disappear? A review of the abiotic and biotic cyanobacterial bloom loss factors,” Harmful Algae, vol. 133, no. 3, p. 102599, Mar. 2024, doi: 10.1016/j.hal.2024.102599.
J. M. O’Neil, T. W. Davis, M. A. Burford, and C. J. Gobler, “The rise of harmful cyanobacteria blooms: The potential roles of eutrophication and climate change,” Harmful Algae, vol. 14, pp. 313–334, Feb. 2012, doi: 10.1016/j.hal.2011.10.027.
L. Song et al., “Harmful Cyanobacterial Blooms: Biological Traits, Mechanisms, Risks, and Control Strategies,” Annu. Rev. Environ. Resour., vol. 48, no. Volume 48, 2023, pp. 123–147, Nov. 2023, doi: 10.1146/annurev-environ-112320-081653.
J. C. Ho, A. M. Michalak, and N. Pahlevan, “Widespread global increase in intense lake phytoplankton blooms since the 1980s,” Nature 2019 574:7780, vol. 574, no. 7780, pp. 667–670, Oct. 2019, doi: 10.1038/s41586-019-1648-7.
K. Shi, Y. Zhang, B. Qin, and B. Zhou, “Remote sensing of cyanobacterial blooms in inland waters: present knowledge and future challenges,” Sci. Bull. (Beijing)., vol. 64, no. 20, pp. 1540–1556, Oct. 2019, doi: 10.1016/j.scib.2019.07.002.
R. C. Lins, J. M. Martinez, D. da M. Marques, J. A. Cirilo, and C. R. Fragoso, “Assessment of Chlorophyll-a Remote Sensing Algorithms in a Productive Tropical Estuarine-Lagoon System,” Remote Sensing 2017, Vol. 9, vol. 9, no. 6, May 2017, doi: 10.3390/rs9060516.
B. W. Asres, M. G. Kebedew, M. D. Nerae, S. Tsegaye, and F. A. Zimale, “Remote sensing-based estimation of Chlorophyll-a concentrations in a water hyacinth-infested tropical headwaters lake: a study of Lake Tana, Ethiopia,” Frontiers in Water, vol. 7, p. 1600222, Nov. 2025, doi: 10.3389/frwa.2025.1600222.
Z. Zhang, J. Liu, R. Deng, Z. Hu, and S. Pan, “Satellite remote sensing of algal blooms in seagoing river in Eastern China,” Front. Mar. Sci., vol. 12, 2025, doi: 10.3389/fmars.2025.1620021.
B. N. Lopez Barreto, E. L. Hestir, C. M. Lee, and M. W. Beutel, “Satellite Remote Sensing: A Tool to Support Harmful Algal Bloom Monitoring and Recreational Health Advisories in a California Reservoir,” Geohealth, vol. 8, no. 2, p. e2023GH000941, Feb. 2024, doi: 10.1029/2023GH000941.
NASA POWER, “Documentación | Servicios de datos | API diaria.” Accessed: Feb. 05, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://power.larc.nasa.gov/docs/services/api/temporal/daily/
NASA POWER, “Documentación | Tutoriales | Parámetros.” Accessed: Feb. 04, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://power.larc.nasa.gov/docs/tutorials/parameters/?utm_source=
N. Janatian et al., “A review on remote-sensing-based harmful cyanobacterial bloom monitoring services,” Remote Sens. Appl., vol. 37, no. 9, p. 101488, Jan. 2025, doi: 10.1016/j.rsase.2025.101488.
S. C. J. Palmer, T. Kutser, and P. D. Hunter, “Remote sensing of inland waters: Challenges, progress and future directions,” Remote Sens. Environ., vol. 157, pp. 1–8, Feb. 2015, doi: 10.1016/j.rse.2014.09.021.
D. Odermatt, A. Gitelson, V. E. Brando, and M. Schaepman, “Review of constituent retrieval in optically deep and complex waters from satellite imagery,” Remote Sens. Environ., vol. 118, pp. 116–126, Mar. 2012, doi: 10.1016/j.rse.2011.11.013.
Copernicus Land Monitoring Service, “Calidad del agua del lago 2024-presente (ráster de 300 m), global, 10 diarios – versión 2.” Accessed: Feb. 04, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://land.copernicus.eu/en/products/water-bodies/lake-water-quality-near-real-time-v2-0-300m?utm_source=
N. A. Ramírez-Silva, J. L. Muñoz-Yustres, A. G. García-Gómez, “Perfil de la contaminación por microplásticos en el agua del Embalse Betania, Departamento del Huila, Colombia,” Revista U.D.C.A Actualidad & Divulgación Científica, vol. 28, no. 1, 2025, doi: 10.31910/rudca.v28.n1.2025.2593.
P. Martínez-García, J. Delgado, and J. Muñoz, “Diversidad de Géneros del Fitoplancton del embalse de Betania–Huila y su importancia como bioindicadores,” Revista Científica, vol. 25, no. 2, pp. 241–251, 2016, doi: 10.14483/udistrital.jour.RC.2016.25.a8.
H. W. Paerl and T. G. Otten, “Harmful cyanobacterial blooms: causes, consequences, and controls,” Microb. Ecol., vol. 65, no. 4, pp. 995–1010, May 2013, doi: 10.1007/s00248-012-0159-y.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.