This satellite image from August 16th to 18th shows the spread of poisonous algae in the Oder Photo: Brockmann Consult
By Isabel Pancake
These satellite images show the spread of the Oder poison alga!
The Copernicus satellite “Sentinel 2” carries an optical sensor that can determine the color of water. Algae contain the coloring pigment chlorophyll, which changes the way sunlight hits it.
As a result, unusually high concentrations of algae can be detected. The Leibniz Institute for Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB) has now evaluated the satellite data.
This is what the algae load in the Oder looked like at the end of July Photo: Brockmann Consult
Result: At the end of July, the chlorophyll concentration is still at an average level, with a slight increase in the city of Opole. At the beginning of August, the concentration near Wroclaw suddenly increases by leaps and bounds and ten to twelve days later shifts further down the river – like the fish kill.
Brandenburg
“The satellite data have great potential to contribute to further clarification of the Oder disaster,” says the IGB.