ENVISAT MERIS CyAN Project: Satellite-Based Cyanobacteria Data for U.S. Lakes

The dataset is updated as of March 13, 2026. It provides satellite-derived estimates of cyanobacteria concentrations in lakes across the contiguous United States and Alaska, produced by the multi-agency Cyanobacteria Assessment Network (CyAN). The data is generated using the cyanobacteria index (CI) algorithm applied to ENVISAT MERIS and Sentinel-3 OLCI imagery.

Use Cases

• Monitoring harmful algal bloom (HAB) occurrence and intensity based on the cyanobacteria index (CI_cyano) algorithm.
• Assessing water quality trends in lakes and estuaries based on satellite-derived cyanobacteria concentration estimates.
• Supporting environmental management decisions for public health advisories based on bloom detection data.
• Validating and calibrating in-situ water quality measurements with remote sensing data.

Strengths

• Produced by a multi-agency collaboration involving NASA, EPA, NOAA, and USGS, suggesting authoritative sourcing.
• Covers lakes across the contiguous United States and Alaska, indicating broad geographic scope.
• Utilizes a specific algorithm (cyanobacteria index) for quantifying cyanobacteria concentrations.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and file size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data is provided in BIN and ISO formats, which may require specialized tools for processing.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), as part of the multi-agency Cyanobacteria Assessment Network (CyAN).

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing products generated using the cyanobacteria index (CI) algorithm on ENVISAT MERIS and Sentinel-3 OLCI data.

Time Range

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Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 03:02:44.477455; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Lakes across the contiguous United States (CONUS) and Alaska.