- Summary
The exceptional variability of lakes has been studied numerous times, yet no unique framework capable of reproducing the wide range of lake dynamics observed in various regions of the World (or within Switzerland itself) has been formulated. Increasingly facing external pressures, inland waters adaptation and changes have to be understood and monitored efficiently to provide timely, scientifically credible, and policy-relevant environmental information.
Such monitoring capabilities and their importance for understanding the spatial and temporal heterogeneity in the distribution of all trophic levels are now largely recognised. Over the last decades, various research communities addressed this problem using only some of those three information sources, namely in-situ measurements, remote sensing observations and mathematical models. The current challenge is to couple those sources through adapted parameterization and data assimilation algorithms. This coupling approach implies mutual feedback mechanisms between those three information sources; model simulations are improved through the assimilation of in-situ measurements and remotely sensed products, remote sensing image processing is improved through parametrization with in-situ measurements and forecasts of hydrodynamic and biological models. Finally, in-situ measurements achieve a better representativeness when carried out along instantaneous gradients known from remotely sensed products and model simulations.
Such is the aim of meteolakes.ch, an online platform for monitoring and forecasting the bio-physical state of Swiss lakes. Meteolakes is a web/Android-application that shares some results of 3D coupled hydrodynamic-biological simulations performed daily with 4.5 days forecasts for several Swiss lakes using real-time atmospheric, rivers and WWTPs data. Additionally it provides measurements from a field station and satellite observations downloaded in real-time. With direct impacts at scientific and
community level, this combination also aims at assisting stakeholders in evidence-based decision-making and towards the sustainable management of our lakes.
This product is developed, managed and maintained by Theo Baracchini and part of his PhD thesis.
Find more about the operational system we develop for Swiss lakes on : meteolakes.ch
And on Android:
EPFL : Warm enough? Lake Geneva forecasts now online
Météosuisse : 21 degrés
RTS-1 CQFD : Le Léman sous la loupe de Meteolakes
CIPEL : Une plateforme en ligne pour suivre et prédire le Léman
Le Matin : Dans le Léman, un froid abyssal glace les eaux genevoises
24heures & Tribune de Genève : Un nouvel outil pour predire la temperature du Léman
Le Messager : Comment le Léman réagit à la chaleur estivale (13 Juillet 2017)
NZZ : Badesaison: Genfersee plötzlich um 15 Grad kälter
Aqua & Gas : 8 statt 23 Grad im Genfersee (N°9 2017)