[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/en\/article\/modal\/10531\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EWatching over water, Earth\u2019s most precious resource \u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt is early morning on the Razelm-Sinoe lagoon in Romania when a small boat sets out with instruments and probes. The researchers on board are collecting water samples and measurements to bring to the laboratory for analysis.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELocated on the shores of the Black Sea, Lake Razelm is part of the most extensive wetland in Europe and of a World Heritage site: the Danube Delta.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EClose up and afar\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe researchers are part of an EU-funded project called\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cordis.europa.eu\/project\/id\/870349\u0022\u003ECERTO\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;tracking water quality along coasts and in places that transition between fresh and saltwater like lagoons, estuaries and large rivers. The team gets support not just from waterborne transport but also from something much more distant: a satellite network.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Traditionally, people have gone out in boats and sampled,\u2019 said Professor Steve Groom, CERTO coordinator and head of science\/earth observation at Plymouth Marine Laboratory in the UK. \u2018But it\u2019s expensive and they can\u0027t be everywhere along the coast on the same day. We\u2019re moving towards using satellites to complement in situ monitoring.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Razelm-Sinoe lagoon was almost closed off from the Black Sea during the 1970s as part of a plan to create a freshwater source for agriculture.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENowadays it only has one sea inlet. The limited water exchange with the sea, combined with mineral and nutrient run-off from nearby farms, led in the 1990s to excessive plant and algal growth and low-oxygen levels that harmed fish and wildlife in the lagoon.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe lagoon\u2019s diversity, including varying water depths and levels of salinity, makes for a valuable study site \u2013 and the interest is not just academic. Ensuring the health of coastal waters is vital both for ecosystems and for people who make a living from activities such as fishing, farming and tourism.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe skyward help that the CERTO researchers receive is through\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.copernicus.eu\/en\u0022\u003ECopernicus\u003C\/a\u003E, the Earth observation part of the EU\u2019s space programme. Copernicus uses satellite data to observe water quality and quantity.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018CERTO puts the use of satellite data in the spotlight,\u2019 said Adriana Maria Constantinescu, technical leader of a Razelm-Sinoe lagoon case study. \u2018We can get good-quality data from satellite images and the work we do in situ helps improve algorithms.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWater colours\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECERTO is using on-site measurements and satellite-observation data in six places. Among them are also the world-famous lagoon in Venice, Italy and the Curonian lagoon in Lithuania.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003EWe\u2019re trying to go from lakes all the way to oceans and come up with a common set of water types.\r\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EProfessor Steve Groom, CERTO\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe project, due to end this September after almost four years,\u0026nbsp;is investigating ways to classify water.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018The technical term is optical water types, but it\u2019s really just a way of saying \u201cthis water is a bit muddy\u201d or \u201cthis area is nice and blue,\u201d\u2019 said Groom.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe term categorises bodies of water based on the colour of the light they reflect.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMurky green ponds, for example, contain more organic matter such as algae than clear ponds and reflect less blue light. Murky water also indicates a surplus of nutrients that could be harmful to fish and wildlife.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn this way, using satellites to measure how much light bodies of water reflect can help determine their health without needing to go out in a boat and take samples. It also gives scientists a database to draw on when analysing waters classified as the same type.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018The value is that you don\u2019t necessarily have to take in situ measurements to validate your algorithms everywhere,\u2019 said Groom. \u2018We\u2019re trying to go from lakes all the way to oceans and come up with a common set of water types for all those waters.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EUser-friendly info\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECERTO also wants to make it easier for scientists to use the available information on water quality and bridge existing gaps in the data.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAt present three Copernicus services, each using different approaches, provide information on water quality, making it hard for scientists to have an overview. In addition, some areas such as transitional waters aren\u2019t covered by any service at all.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe project\u2019s legacy will be prototype software that can be \u201cplugged in\u201d to existing Copernicus services as well as popular open-source software called SNAP that\u2019s used more widely in the research community.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EConstantinescu, the head of a Razelm-Sinoe study, expects the CERTO work to lead to more research at the lagoon. The filtering properties of reed beds or their role in attenuating wind waves could be some of the nature-based solutions investigated to deal with coastal erosion.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cfigure role=\u0022group\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cimg alt=\u0022So-Rad platform used to gauge water colour. \u00a9 Adriana Maria Constantinescu \u0022 data-entity-type=\u0022file\u0022 data-entity-uuid=\u0022cc5da6eb-0832-46ad-804a-c7937130a364\u0022 src=\u0022\/sites\/default\/files\/hm\/IMCEUpload\/CERTO%201.jpg\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cfigcaption class=\u0022tw-italic tw-mb-4\u0022\u003ESo-Rad platform used to gauge water colour. \u00a9 Adriana Maria Constantinescu\u003C\/figcaption\u003E\n\u003C\/figure\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EVital groundwater\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESatellite data is also used to keep an eye on Europe\u2019s groundwater.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe EU-funded \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cordis.europa.eu\/project\/id\/870353\u0022\u003EG3P\u003C\/a\u003E project tracked variations in vital groundwater reserves for three years through 2022.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe project used data both from Copernicus and from a joint US-Germany satellite mission known as GRACE that, since its start in 2002, has transformed scientists\u2019 view of how water moves and is stored around the planet.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003EGroundwater is one of the major resources for humankind.\r\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EProfessor Andreas G\u00fcntner, G3P\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Groundwater is one of the major resources for humankind,\u2019 said Professor Andreas G\u00fcntner, who coordinated G3P and works at the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences in Potsdam.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGroundwater accounts for almost a third of total freshwater resources worldwide.\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.eea.europa.eu\/publications\/europes-groundwater\u0022\u003EIn the EU\u003C\/a\u003E, it supplies 65% of drinking water and a quarter of water for agricultural irrigation.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGroundwater has also been declared an essential climate variable \u2013 a critical indicator of how the Earth\u2019s climate is changing \u2013 by an international non-governmental organisation known as the Global Climate Observing System.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECopernicus doesn\u2019t yet provide consistent, worldwide data on groundwater reserves and how they\u2019re evolving.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EData wonders\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe G3P team built a new dataset to fill that gap.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe researchers relied on information from GRACE, which has featured twin satellites. An initial GRACE mission lasted 15 years and a follow-up one began in 2018.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe distance between the two satellites changes constantly depending on the mass distribution below them. For example, when one approaches heavy masses such as mountains, ice sheets and large groundwater reserves, it speeds up and the distance from the other satellite increases.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBy tracking the gravitational push and pull on the spacecraft as they fly over different landscapes, scientists were able to map out the distribution of water on and below Earth\u2019s surface and how it\u2019s changing.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EKnowing more about groundwater reserves, their changes and how they are affected by human activities such as farming is essential as countries seek to improve the management of water resources generally.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018In some areas of the world, taking water from aquifers for irrigation has led to more withdrawal than replenishment \u2013 in other words unsustainable use,\u2019 G\u00fcntner said. \u2018The first global observation-based groundwater dataset is really an amazing thing.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EStill, plenty more research lies ahead to make greater use of the dataset.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018The next step is in-depth analysis of the groundwater data we obtained to try to understand how groundwater resources have changed over the last 20 years, how those changes may be related to climate change, changing rainfall and how much is due to human interference,\u2019 said G\u00fcntner.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EResearch in this article was funded by the EU. 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