Water quality management in Finland (2022)
Overview
The study examines the management of water quality of lakes in Finland and how this is improved through the use of data from Sentinel-2 and Sentinel-3, and from other satellites. Finland has more than 187,000 lakes and ponds that are larger than 500 m2 and about 10% of total land surface is covered by water. Lakes replenish groundwater and supply drinking water in parts of the country. To maintain and improve water quality Finland’s lakes need to be monitored for environmental factors and pollution.
In 2018, SYKE, the environmental institute of Finland, developed a service called TARKKA to monitor water quality and water temperature using visual satellite true colour imagery. The service provides much better overall picture of water conditions than in-situ monitoring techniques that are often constrained to a few locations on a lake.
SYKE uses the TARKKA service for its own research and monitoring purposes but also supports actors along the value chain enabling significant benefits. SYKE also makes the visualised results available openly to the public on a platform. The economic benefits quantified in this study range from EUR 6.62m to EUR 24.82m per year that are mainly derived from regional centres saving in-situ monitoring costs as well as citizens having access to cleaner water and better information that results in time savings for finding the best locations for water activities.
Geographical scope
Non-quantified impacts
Environmental benefits – pollution is reduced (less fertiliser run-off), maintenance of natural habitats and ecosystems is better supported, and monitoring of environmental threats is enhanced.
Regulatory benefits – improved monitoring of water and enforcement of sustainability commitments, better monitoring of impact of policies (proof of adherence) and improved policies.
Innovation and entrepreneurship benefits – creation of cutting-edge services, championing of innovative services and developing operational practices.
Scientific and technological benefits – the wide scale nature of the measurements possible with Sentinel data is enabling research projects into ecosystems services as well as the impact of water quality.
Societal benefits – improved access to amenities and activities linked to water bodies and a better quality of life for citizens.
Quantifiable impacts
The authors have examined the impacts across the value chain and calculated the annual economic value that comes from the use of Sentinel-enabled services for the primary user (tier 2) – the Regional Centres for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment (ELY Centres) and to citizens and society (tier 4). The economic benefits are summarised in the table below. The authors find that there are many additional benefits resulting from each tier of the value chain that have not been quantified in this table due to the uncertainties and complexities involved in this analysis.
Reference
Find this article at:
https://earsc.org/sebs/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Water-quality-in-Finland-Final.pdf
This case study, undertaken by the European Association of Remote Sensing Companies (EARSC), is one in a series of case studies from the Sentinel Economic Benefits Study (SEBS) – a large study to show how Earth Observation (EO) derived products and services, based on data generated by one or more Sentinel satellites, deliver value to society and citizens.
Country
- Finland