Landsat 10 to improve harmful algal bloom monitoring

The US Geological Survey said in an announcement published Tuesday 20 October 2026 that Ryan O'Shea, a member of the 2026-2030 Landsat Science Team, will develop and refine a processing pipeline for harmful algal bloom monitoring. Landsat 10 is expected to launch in 2031 with 26 spectral bands, 15 more than either Landsat 8 or 9.

The agency said harmful algal blooms occur when algae or cyanobacteria grow rapidly. They can kill hundreds of thousands of fish, harm people and animals, and cost up to $100 million annually in the United States. All 50 states have reported harmful algal blooms, which threaten lakes, reservoirs, rivers, ponds and bays.

O'Shea's proposed pipeline will use current and future satellite imagery to monitor freshwater and coastal ecosystems. New and refined bands in the red, violet, orange, red-edge and near infrared spectral regions are expected to improve observations of water quality and aquatic ecosystems.

O'Shea previously contributed through the 2018-2023 Landsat Science Team to research on machine-learning based atmospheric correction and water quality parameter retrieval algorithms. He will work with Dr. Akash Ashapure, Dr. Arun Saranathan and project personnel William Wainwright on future research.

O'Shea said Landsat 10 will provide observations at 20-meter scales, allowing harmful algal blooms to be monitored in small inland bodies and tributaries. He said Landsat 8 and 9 have limited spectral coverage, making it difficult to distinguish cyanobacteria from other phytoplankton.

The US Geological Survey said the proposed pipeline includes cloud masking for biologically active and optically complex waters, improved estimation of chlorophyll-a concentrations and a machine-learning based algorithm for bloom monitoring before Landsat 10 launches. It will also harmonize Landsat observations with Sentinel-2 and Sentinel-3 data, update the STREAM website and expand geographic coverage beyond North America and Europe.