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The U.S. government is closed. This site will not be updated; however, NOAA websites and social media channels necessary to protect lives and property will be maintained. To learn more, visit commerce.gov. 

For the latest forecasts and critical weather information, visit weather.gov.

Guiding the Future of Satellite Imagery for Northeast Harmful Algal Bloom Alerts

A new survey reveals user satisfaction with a listserv that delivers satellite imagery for detecting algal blooms while improving stakeholder engagement in the Northeast. This information could guide useful improvements for the delivery system.

Satellite image of the northeast. Light green lines the coast with orange and yellow around northern New Jersey and New York City
This is a sample satellite image that would be sent through the listserv. The image reveals high chlorophyll which was confirmed by state agency listserv partners to be an algal bloom that did not pose a risk to human or wildlife health. (The images were derived from Copernicus Sentinel-3 satellite data from the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites [EUMETSAT] and were processed by NOAA, National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science.)
For decades, NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) has successfully used satellite imagery to detect HABs in regions of the U.S. where they are prevalent. While routine monitoring and operational forecasting have been provided for HAB occurrences in other locations, providing timely situational awareness and support operational decisions, a routine monitoring system for the Northeast has not been available. In partnership with Florida Sea Grant, NCCOS expanded this capability to the Northeast through an email listserv in July of 2024.

In 2025 – one year after the launch – Florida Sea Grant conducted a survey to understand recipient satisfaction rates, and how people prefer to receive and are using the HAB satellite imagery. Respondents included staff from nongovernmental organizations, academic institutions, and local, state, and federal agencies. Survey results indicate that 96 percent of respondents are satisfied or extremely satisfied with the imagery emails, and 85 percent find the summaries useful for interpreting the imagery, identifying areas of concern and tracking changes to the HABs. About half of the respondents are using the imagery operationally to guide their sampling, issue advisories, or to inform their aquaculture monitoring. The listserv provides opportunities for subscribers who are in the region and on the water collecting samples to provide validation information on blooms. This has fostered a supportive and collaborative environment, informed NCCOS on blooms to support algorithm development, and inspired discussions and peer feedback among the subscribers. 

Additionally, the survey revealed that respondents would like to see improvements, including higher resolution imagery, region-specific dashboards, and other local data. The team plans to use this information to enhance accessibility and decision support.

Visit the NCCOS Satellite Imagery Interest Form to sign up for updates.

Read the full white paper, “Usefulness of NOAA NCCOS Satellite Imagery Emails for Harmful Algal Bloom Monitoring in the Northeast U.S.” to view the full survey questions and results. 

This work is part of an ongoing project and authorized under the Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Act (33 U.S.C. §§ 4001 et seq.).

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