Merged Sentinel-3 OLCI Global CyAN Project: Cyanobacteria Bloom Detection

Satellite imagery from the Cyanobacteria Assessment Network (CyAN) project supports detection and quantification of cyanobacteria algal blooms in U.S. lakes and estuaries. The data merges observations from Sentinel-3A and Sentinel-3B satellites, providing a spatial resolution of 300 meters. The project is a collaboration between NASA, EPA, NOAA, and USGS, with best coverage since 2018.

Use Cases

• Monitoring cyanobacteria bloom extent based on satellite-derived true color imagery
• Assessing water quality trends in U.S. lakes and estuaries based on sensor data
• Supporting environmental management decisions based on bloom detection capability
• Analyzing spatial patterns of algal blooms based on 300-meter resolution imagery

Strengths

• Spatial resolution is 300 meters, which suggests detailed coverage
• Utilizes sensors on two Sentinel-3 satellites, likely improving temporal coverage
• Project is a multi-agency collaboration among NASA, EPA, NOAA, and USGS

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download
• Temporal resolution depends on sensor and date, which may lead to irregular sampling
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing via Sentinel-3 OLCI instruments

Time Range

Best coverage since 2018

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 00:32:32.630993; freshness should be verified

Geography

Global, with specific processing for CONUS (50m land mask) and Alaska (500m land mask)