Algal bloom research using airborne remotely sensed data: Comparison of high spectral resolution and broad bandwidth CASI data with field measurements in the swan river in Western Australia

The Compact Airborne Spectrographic Imager (CASI) was flown over parts of the Swan River, Western Australia, in February 1993 to provide data to assess uses of remote sensing for detection and monitoring of algal blooms. It was flown in both spectral (288 bands x 39 lines) and spatial (14 bands x 512 lines) modes. Some biological, physical, spectral and chemical sampling of the water column were collected as close as possible to the flight times. Analysis of the CASI Spectral‐ and Spatial‐Mode data showed a relationship with some algal types, their concentrations and other co‐varing parameters. A small number of well chosen bands were sufficient to identify some of the water quality parameters in the Swan River. A synthesized comparison was made with the optimum spectral bands that could be used in a simple airborne digital video system. The relative advantages and applicability of this approach is discussed.