Assessing the origin of a massive cyanobacterial bloom in the Río de la Plata (2019): Towards an early warning system

Water Research
Luis AubriotAndrea Somma

Abstract

The Río de la Plata estuary drains the second largest river basin of South America. The occurrence of frequent cyanobacterial blooms of the Microcystis and Dolichospermum complex in the Uruguayan coast are associated with high flows of Uruguay River due to rainy years. In summer 2019, a massive cyanobacterial bloom reached up to the Uruguayan Atlantic coast. This study seeks to unveil the origin and the environmental conditions that favored the occurrence of the last cyanobacterial bloom in the Río de la Plata, and to contribute with the development of an early warning system of cyanobacterial scum on Montevideo beaches. A complementary approach was applied with Sentinel-2 imagery, environmental data of monitoring programs of Salto Grande Reservoir and Montevideo beaches, hydro-meteorological information, and hydroelectric dam operation. Images were analyzed with the Normalized Difference Chlorophyll Index (NDCI), which allowed evaluating several water bodies within the same ranges. Positive anomalous rainfall increased river flows, particularly that of Uruguay and Negro rivers, which caused the opening of the dam spillways. NDCI maps showed that areas with high values (NDCI>0.06) in Salto Grande reservoir kept a similar surfac...Continue Reading

Citations

Mar 26, 2021·Environmental Monitoring and Assessment·Bernardo ZabaletaLuis Aubriot
Aug 24, 2021·Environmental Science and Pollution Research International·Andrea SommaLuis Aubriot
Nov 27, 2021·The Science of the Total Environment·I AlcántaraF García-Rodríguez

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