Three agencies team up to tackle Nakdong River algae blooms using satellite technology

Korea Water Resources Corp., known as K-water, signed a joint algae-response MOU with the Daegu Regional Environment Office and the North Gyeongsang Province branch of the Korea Rural Community Corp. at the K-water Research Institute in Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, on Monday.

The agreement came in response to a rise in algae outbreaks along the Nakdong River, which officials attribute to more frequent heat waves and reduced rainfall caused by abnormal climate patterns. The three agencies said the pact is designed to address the limits of conventional water-sampling-based algae monitoring and to strengthen inter-agency cooperation.

Under the MOU, the three agencies will use satellite data to conduct wide-area monitoring of algae conditions in the Nakdong River on a regular basis, enabling a proactive response to outbreaks. They also plan to analyze seasonal algae trends to inform future countermeasures for the mid- and upper reaches of the river.

The agreement also expands satellite monitoring coverage beyond existing algae-alert stations to include agricultural reservoirs that feed into the main Nakdong River channel, allowing agencies to detect and respond to algae at the source.

K-water will apply its independently developed satellite-based chlorophyll-a concentration estimation technology to visualize the eutrophication level of water systems and support the joint algae-response effort.

The Daegu Regional Environment Office will draw up a collaborative action plan for joint algae response across the Nakdong River basin, select and manage monitoring sites, and oversee the overall cooperation framework through dedicated working-level meetings.

The North Gyeongsang Province branch of the Korea Rural Community Corp. will supply water quality data from agricultural reservoirs, conduct on-site water quality measurements to improve and verify the accuracy of satellite analysis, and carry out field surveillance to prevent algae from spreading in those reservoirs.

"The satellite-based algae monitoring system at the heart of this agreement will be a key tool for more precisely tracking algae outbreaks that are wide-ranging and unpredictable," said Kim Byung-kee, director of the K-water Research Institute. "We will strengthen cooperation with partner agencies to build a proactive response and efficient water quality management framework, and do our utmost to ensure safe water environment management."