Designated as an Estuary of National Significance, Long Island Sound (LIS) is amongst the most valuable natural resources in North America. It is also one of the world’s most urbanized estuaries, becoming increasingly vulnerable to climate change, including acidification, warming, and sea level rise. Seasonally recurring hypoxia and algal blooms continue to represent a threat to LIS water quality, public health, and the aquaculture industry.

​Satellite observations--obtained almost daily and across spatial and temporal scales not feasible with field-based monitoring alone--can uniquely provide data products of great value for water quality and HAB monitoring.

This satellite data portal provides access to satellite imagery that captures the spatial heterogeneity and temporal dynamics of key water quality indicators, including chlorophyll-a concentration, water clarity or turbidity, and colored dissolved organic matter absorption, at the ecosystem scale. Satellite algorithms have been optimized for the complex coastal waters of NY Harbor and Long Island Sound, trained and validated using comprehensive field observations collected by local water quality monitoring programs, including the CT-DEEP Water Monitoring Program and the NYC DEP Harbor Water Quality Program. 

The satellite data portal was developed by the NY/CT Sea Grant-funded project "Actionable satellite water-quality data products in LIS for improved management and societal benefits." The project is led by The City University of New York (PI: Maria Tzortziou) and Columbia University/Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory (co-PI: Joaquim Goes), and is a partnership with various stakeholders in the region, including NASA, NOAA, LISS, CT DEEP, NYC DEP, NYS DEC, and CT DABA .​