Seeking sailors to help measure phytoplankton populations

Horne, R.E.

doi:10.1073/pnas.1306732110

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…Still, marine citizen science (MCS), which can be defined as citizen science that studies at least some aspect of the marine environment, has been experiencing steady growth over recent decades (Thiel et al 2014), as well as high levels of interest among marine users (Martin et al 2015). MCS projects can occur in a wide variety of marine environments, including the coastal (Hidalgo-Ruz and Thiel 2013), intertidal (Delaney et al 2008), neritic (Hesley et al 2017), and oceanic zones (Horne 2013). Similar to its terrestrial counterparts, MCS projects also tend to focus primarily on biodiversity monitoring (Thiel et al 2014;Hyder et al 2015), although a variety of other phenomena have been studied as well, including the spread of invasive species (Delaney et al 2008), pollution (Anderson and Alford 2014), and the categorization of whale calls (Shamir et al 2014).…”

Section: Introduction and Objectivesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Marine Citizen Science: Recent Developments and Future Recommendations

Sandahl

Tøttrup

2020

CSTP

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Marine Citizen Science (MCS) is highly underrepresented in the citizen science literature, despite the instrumental (data-focused) and capacity-building (society-focused) benefits such projects offer for marine conservation. Nevertheless, the MCS literature has experienced continual growth since its first publications in the early 1990s. Few reviews have considered the developing history of MCS, and none have considered recent developments in the field. By reviewing 185 MCS papers published from 2014-2018, this study examines recent developments in MCS and offers informed recommendations for future MCS projects. Over the five surveyed years, there were significant increasing trends in both MCS publication quantity and diversity of affiliated research countries, although many tropical study regions with high observation potential remained underrepresented. Sixty-eight percent (68%, N = 126) of surveyed MCS studies focused on non-emblematic study subjects versus thirty-two percent (32%, N = 59) of studies that focused on emblematic subjects (e.g., coral reefs, megafauna, and endangered/critically endangered species found on the Red List of Threatened Species compiled by the International Union for Conservation of Nature [IUCN]), suggesting that the charismatic appeal of the scientific topic may not be a limiting factor to volunteer participation. Nearly 82% (N = 151) of studies failed to describe explicit hypotheses, and many studies utilizing novel data neglected to include descriptions of data quality assurance measures (25%, N = 47) in their reports, potentially fueling the credibility challenge, which citizen science research faces as a whole. Finally, only a small portion of studies (10%, N = 19) involved participants beyond mere data collection, despite the unique and diverse perspectives volunteers may bring to scientific research. Collectively, these results aid in forming a set of recommendations for future MCS projects seeking to improve the quality of their credibility, study design, and volunteer contributions through explicitly stating hypotheses/quality-insurance methods, considering the potential of non-emblematic study species/ smartphone applications, and designing projects that allow for a spectrum of volunteer participation in high-observation potential areas.

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Section: Introduction and Objectivesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Marine Citizen Science: Recent Developments and Future Recommendations

Sandahl

Tøttrup

2020

CSTP

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From toes to top-of-atmosphere: Fowler’s Sneaker Depth index of water clarity for the Chesapeake Bay

Crooke¹,

McKinna²,

Cetinić³

2017

Opt. Express

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Fowler's Sneaker Depth (FSD), analogous to the well known Secchi disk depth (Zsd), is a visually discerned citizen scientist metric used to assess water clarity in the Patuxent River estuary. In this study, a simple remote sensing algorithm was developed to derive FSD from space-borne spectroradiometric imagery. An empirical model was formed that estimates FSD from red-end remote sensing reflectances at 645 nm, Rrs(645). The model is based on a hyperbolic function relating water clarity to Rrs(645) that was established using radiative transfer modeling and fine tuned using in-water FSD measurements and coincident Rrs(645) data observed by NASA's Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer aboard the Aqua spacecraft (MODISA). The resultant FSD algorithm was applied to Landsat-8 Operational Land Imager data to derive a short time-series for the Patuxent River estuary from January 2015 to June 2016. Satellite-derived FSD had an inverse, statistically significant relationship (p<0.005) with total suspended sediment concentration (TSS). Further, a distinct negative relationship between FSD and chlorophyll concentration was discerned during periods of high biomass (> 4 μg L^-1). The complex nature of water quality in the mid-to-upper Chesapeake Bay was captured using a MODISA-based FSD time series (2002-2016). This study demonstrates how a citizen scientist-conceived observation can be coupled with remote sensing. With further refinement and validation, the FSD may be a useful tool for delivering scientifically relevant results and for informing and engaging local stakeholders and policy makers.

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Seeking sailors to help measure phytoplankton populations

Cited by 2 publications

References 0 publications

Marine Citizen Science: Recent Developments and Future Recommendations

Marine Citizen Science: Recent Developments and Future Recommendations

From toes to top-of-atmosphere: Fowler’s Sneaker Depth index of water clarity for the Chesapeake Bay

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