UI Study Uses NASA Earth Data to Forecast Water Nitrate Levels

(Iowa) -- A University of Iowa research initiative is working to develop forecasting and early-warning system for nitrates in Iowa bodies of water used for drinking water.

The project is collaborating with the cities of Cedar Rapids and Iowa City, as well as with Des Moines Water Works. The initiative's goal is the creation of a Nitrate Forecasting and Early Warning System (NFEWS), designed for real-time water quality monitoring.

Dr. Jesus Gomez Velez, professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Iowa, says, "Our focus is using artificial intelligence, so models that essentially are trying to learn what is the relationship between things that control the concentrations of nitrates and the relationship with nitrate concentrations in the streams."

The three-year project is being funded by NASA and will integrate NASA Earth-observing satellite data with Iowa's water quality monitoring systems and other statewide data. During the project's three year timeframe, it will be integrated into the Iowa Water Quality Information System web application

More information on the project is available on the University of Iowa College of Engineering website.