Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, has started developing a world-first “ground-to-space” water quality monitoring system for Australia and the globe.
The move follows a mass wash-up of dead fish in a river in western New South Wales last Friday.
Millions of dead fish washed up out of the Darling River in Menindee, and CSIRO says the deaths were caused by poor water quality following extensive flooding in Menindee and upstream.
As such, the agency has launched AquaWatch in a mission to combine a network of satellites and ground-based water sensors to support water quality management.
AquaWatch will essentially work as a “weather service for water quality”, according to CSIRO, and will provide real-time updates and predictive forecasting once fully operational.
CSIRO, with foundation partner SmartSat CRC, is bringing together research, government, and industry with an initial co-investment of $83 million to design and develop AquaWatch.
The AquaWatch water systems will warn scientists early of harmful events such as toxic algal blooms, blackwater and runoff contamination from rivers to coastal streams.
AquaWatch’s scope encompasses the monitoring of aquaculture farming, mangrove forests, coastal wetlands, bays, and coral reefs, including the Great Barrier Reef.
According to the CEO of SmartSat, Andy Koronios, space technology will play a crucial role in AquaWatch and will be indispensable for achieving a precise understanding of Australia’s water systems.
CSIRO said the new system would increase the resilience of Australian communities depending on clean water and improve the outcomes for the natural environment after events like bushfires and floods.
“Imagine taking your family to the local swimming spot and being able to open your phone and check the water quality before they dive in. Or better yet, getting a forecast for the water quality days before you plan your family day out,” CSIRO Chief Executive Larry Marshall said.
“Now imagine the impact of this if you were an environment manager, able to receive advance warning of the oxygen-depleted blackwater events often responsible for mass fish kills, or an aquaculture farmer able to plan ahead for an impending algal bloom.
“Overseas, in places where people still face the risk of unsafe water for basic needs like drinking and sanitation, such a service could be a game-changer.”
Under the AquaWatch plan, once data has been gathered from both water sensors and satellites, the information will be consolidated at a central data hub where CSIRO’s data analysis and AI expertise can produce forecasts several days in advance.
CSIRO already has six AquaWatch pilot sites set up around Australia in preparation to test the system for several uses.
One pilot site will focus on the monitoring of toxic blue-green algae blooms at Lake Tuggeranong in Canberra, a recreational hot spot, while another site will study how sediment flows from the Fitzroy River out to the Great Barrier Reef.
Additional pilots will be established overseas to demonstrate how AquaWatch can be used to monitor water quality for drinking, sanitation, species conservation, hydroelectricity and carbon sequestration in mangrove forests.
What caused the mass fish deaths?
CSIRO revealed that the recent extensive flooding of the Menindee river had led to an immense boost in fish populations because the flood conditions provided suitable habitats for breeding.
After the floods receded, high concentrations of organic materials and sediments remained in the water, deteriorating its quality.
Ultimately, this caused lower dissolved oxygen levels in the water, and as water levels receded, fish became more concentrated in the main river channel and had to compete for oxygen.
CSIRO said that Australian residents should expect more incidents like these during periods of water scarcity or large floods, as dissolved oxygen levels can easily fall following extreme weather conditions.
However, predicting exactly where and when these events will occur will be difficult without understanding the impact of river regulation on river flow and hydraulics and the water quality management AquaWatch will provide.