Davide Lomeo

Earth, Atmosphere and Ocean Processes

KCL

NHM

Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML)

Stefan Simis

Daniel Schillereff (King’s College London),

Lakes and wetlands are critical ecosystems that support biodiversity and provide vital ecosystem services to people. However, they are threatened by anthropogenic pressures, including climate change and catchment degradation. Eutrophication and the warming of surface waters increase the risk of harmful algal blooms, which can overtake aquatic environments and suppress other organisms. Some bloom-forming species of cyanobacteria produce toxins (cyanotoxins) that have been implicated in the deaths of livestock and wildlife and can be harmful to people. Nevertheless, little is known about the extent to which environmental change is influencing the risk of wildlife mortality events, especially in Africa. This project will utilise satellite Earth Observation, field observations and climate data to investigate the influence of teleconnections, climate change and catchment degradation on the water quality of inland waters in Southern Africa. Deep learning methods and satellite sensors will be used to assess and monitor the ecohydrological dynamics of waterbodies. Finally, the project will examine how changing environmental and climatic conditions influence the risk of toxic algal blooms and mass die-offs of terrestrial megafauna and how these risks vary over space and time.

• Lomeo D., Singh M. (2022) Cloud-Based Monitoring and Evaluation of the Spatial-Temporal Distribution of Southeast Asia’s Mangroves Using Deep Learning Remote Sensing DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/rs14102291
• Emma Tebbs, Aidan Byrne, Davide Lomeo, Henry Thompson, Winnie Owoko, James Nyaga, Collins Ongore, James Last, Zeph Migeni, Lucy Everitt (2023) Satellite Earth Observation for the Sustainable Management of the African Great LakesSatellite Earth Observation for the Sustainable Management of the African Great Lakes