Tartu Observatory training course will teach how to use satellite data in water remote sensing

On 22 February 2024 a practical training course in Tartu Observatory, Tõravere is held. The main focus of the course will be on the use of Copernicus data for water monitoring.

The course consists of two blocks. The first part will focus on the assessment of chlorophyll-a and transparency to support monitoring under the EU Water Framework Directive and Marine Strategy Framework Directive. The second part will introduce the use of satellite data to monitor surface phytoplankton blooms.

Please register here by 15 February at the latest. We would like to know the number of participants in order to better prepare the training and to order lunch and coffee breaks. The course materials are in English. Instruction will be in English and Estonian.

See you in Tõravere!

Workshop description and learning outcomes

I Deriving chlorophyll-a and water transparency from Copernicus data to support the monitoring requirements from EU directives 

After the end of the course, the person: 

1. understands the differences between remote sensing and contact measurements, is able to combine them and to use them for time and space analyses;
2. understands and can use different data sets to analyse and compare data in different ways (point measurements, areal averages) 
3. is able to use the ESTHub platform - to query and process data as required;
4. is able to use SNAP software for displaying and processing satellite data;
5. has an overview of HELCOM needs and the requirements of the EU WFD and MSFD for the ecological assessment of inland and coastal waters and can use satellite data to support chlorophyll-a and transparency assessments.

II Mapping phytoplankton blooms from Copernicus data 

After the end of the course, the person: 

1. is able to locate, process and use remote sensing data and apply this knowledge to phytoplankton mapping;
2. Is able to analyze spatio-temporal variations in phytoplankton. 

This training course is organized by the FPCUP project that is financed by the European Commission under the FPA no.: 275/G/GRO/COPE/17/10042 actions “2020-3-24 Open Data framework for the Baltic Sea drainage Basin” and “2021-2-11 Tailored downstream applications/products–from Copernicus to coastal and inland water monitoring”.