{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,8]],"date-time":"2026-01-08T21:15:33Z","timestamp":1767906933094,"version":"3.49.0"},"reference-count":33,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"7","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2018,7,19]],"date-time":"2018-07-19T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1531958400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100003074","name":"ANPCyT","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["PICT 2014-0455"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["PICT 2014-0455"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100003074","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100002923","name":"CONICET","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["PIP 112 20120100350"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["PIP 112 20120100350"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100002923","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"name":"Belgian Federal Science Policy Office (BELSPO)","award":["HYPERMAQ (SR\/00\/335)"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["HYPERMAQ (SR\/00\/335)"]}]},{"name":"Belgian Federal Science Policy Office (BELSPO)","award":["TURBINET (BL\/58\/FWI10)"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["TURBINET (BL\/58\/FWI10)"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Remote Sensing"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The massive development of floating plants in floodplain lakes and wetlands in the upper Middle Paran\u00e1 river in the La Plata basin is environmentally and socioeconomically important. Every year aquatic plant detachments drift downstream arriving in small amounts to the R\u00edo de la Plata, but huge temporary invasions have been observed every 10 or 15 years associated to massive floods. From late December 2015, heavy rains driven by a strong El Ni\u00f1o increased river levels, provoking a large temporary invasion of aquatic plants from January to May 2016. This event caused significant disruption of human activities via clogging of drinking water intakes in the estuary, blocking of ports and marinas and introducing dangerous animals from faraway wetlands into the city. In this study, we developed a scheme to map floating vegetation in turbid waters using high-resolution imagery, like Sentinel-2\/SMI (MultiSpectral Imager), Landsat-8\/OLI (Operational Land Imager), and Aqua\/MODIS (MODerate resolution Imager Spectroradiometer)-250 m. A combination of the Floating Algal Index (that make use of the strong signal in the NIR part of the spectrum), plus conditions set on the RED band (to avoid misclassifying highly turbid waters) and on the CIE La*b* color space coordinates (to confirm the visually \u201cgreen\u201d pixels as floating vegetation) were used. A time-series of multisensor high resolution imagery was analyzed to study the temporal variability, covered area and distribution of the unusual floating macroalgae invasion that started in January 2016 in the R\u00edo de la Plata estuary.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/rs10071140","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2018,7,20]],"date-time":"2018-07-20T02:10:11Z","timestamp":1532052611000},"page":"1140","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":37,"title":["Detecting and Quantifying a Massive Invasion of Floating Aquatic Plants in the R\u00edo de la Plata Turbid Waters Using High Spatial Resolution Ocean Color Imagery"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"10","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8834-4374","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ana I.","family":"Dogliotti","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires C1428EGA, Argentina"},{"name":"Instituto de Astronom\u00eda y F\u00edsica del Espacio (IAFE), CONICET-Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires C1428EGA, Argentina"}]},{"given":"Juan I.","family":"Gossn","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires C1428EGA, Argentina"},{"name":"Instituto de Astronom\u00eda y F\u00edsica del Espacio (IAFE), CONICET-Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires C1428EGA, Argentina"}]},{"given":"Quinten","family":"Vanhellemont","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (RBINS), Operational Directorate Natural Environment, 1200 Brussels, Belgium"}]},{"given":"Kevin G.","family":"Ruddick","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (RBINS), Operational Directorate Natural Environment, 1200 Brussels, Belgium"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2018,7,19]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"122","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jsames.2013.03.010","article-title":"Vegetation and its relationship with geomorphologic units in the Parana River floodplain, Argentina","volume":"46","author":"Marchetti","year":"2013","journal-title":"J. S. Am. Earth Sci."},{"key":"ref_2","first-page":"33","article-title":"Assessment of the abnormal growth of floating macrophytes in Winam Gulf (Kenya) by using MODIS imagery time series","volume":"20","author":"Fusilli","year":"2013","journal-title":"Int. J. Appl. Earth Obs. Geoinform."},{"key":"ref_3","first-page":"93","article-title":"Using spatial information technologies to detect and map waterhyacinth and hydrilla infestations in the Lower Rio Grande","volume":"41","author":"Everitt","year":"2003","journal-title":"J. Aquat. Plant Manag."},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"555","DOI":"10.1126\/science.279.5350.555","article-title":"Accelerating invasion rate in a highly invaded estuary","volume":"279","author":"Cohen","year":"1998","journal-title":"Science"},{"key":"ref_5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"3619","DOI":"10.1109\/TGRS.2006.882258","article-title":"Ocean color satellites show extensive lines of floating Sargassum in the Gulf of Mexico","volume":"44","author":"Gower","year":"2006","journal-title":"IEEE Trans. Geosci. Remote Sens."},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2118","DOI":"10.1016\/j.rse.2009.05.012","article-title":"A novel ocean color index to detect floating algae in the global oceans","volume":"113","author":"Hu","year":"2009","journal-title":"Remote Sens. Environ."},{"key":"ref_7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"C12010","DOI":"10.1029\/2009JC005513","article-title":"Green macroalgae blooms in the YellowSea during the spring and summer of 2008","volume":"114","author":"Shi","year":"2009","journal-title":"J. Geophys. Res. Oceans"},{"key":"ref_8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1169","DOI":"10.1016\/j.marpolbul.2011.03.040","article-title":"Inter-and intra-annual patterns of Ulva prolifera green tides in the Yellow Sea during 2007\u20132009, their origin and relationship to the expansion of coastal seaweed aquaculture in China","volume":"62","author":"Keesing","year":"2011","journal-title":"Mar. Pollut. Bull."},{"key":"ref_9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Alawadi, F. (2010, January 20\u201323). Detection of Surface Algal Blooms Using the Newly Developed Algorithm Surface Algal Bloom Index (SABI). Proceedings of the SPIE Remote Sensing of the Ocean, Sea Ice, and Large Water Regions 2010, Toulouse, France.","DOI":"10.1117\/12.862096"},{"key":"ref_10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"113","DOI":"10.1016\/j.rse.2016.02.065","article-title":"Mapping macroalgal blooms in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea using HJ-1 and Landsat data: Application of a virtual baseline reflectance height technique","volume":"178","author":"Xing","year":"2016","journal-title":"Remote Sens. Environ."},{"key":"ref_11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"217","DOI":"10.1016\/j.rse.2017.01.037","article-title":"Remote estimation of biomass of Ulva prolifera macroalgae in the Yellow Sea","volume":"192","author":"Hu","year":"2017","journal-title":"Remote Sens. Environ."},{"key":"ref_12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"229","DOI":"10.1016\/j.rse.2015.05.022","article-title":"Spectral and spatial requirements of remote measurements of pelagic Sargassum macroalgae","volume":"167","author":"Hu","year":"2015","journal-title":"Remote Sens. Environ."},{"key":"ref_13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Liang, Q., Zhang, Y., Ma, R., Loiselle, S.A., Li, J., and Hu, M. (2017). A MODIS-Based Novel Method to Distinguish Surface Cyanobacterial Scums and Aquatic Macrophytes in Lake Taihu. Remote Sens., 9.","DOI":"10.3390\/rs9020133"},{"key":"ref_14","unstructured":"Benzaqu\u00e9n, L., Blanco, D.E., B\u00f3, R.F., Kandus, P., Lingua, G.F., Minotti, P., Quintana, R.D., Sverlij, S., and Vidal, L. (2013). Regionalizaci\u00f3n del Corredor Fluvial Paran\u00e1-Paraguay, Inventario de los Humedales de Argentina: Sistemas de Paisajes de Humedales del Corredor FluvialParan\u00e1-Paraguay."},{"key":"ref_15","unstructured":"World Water Assessment Programme (2018, April 27). La Plata Basin Case Study. Final Report. Available online: unesdoc.unesco.org\/images\/0015\/001512\/151252e.pdf."},{"key":"ref_16","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2570","DOI":"10.1175\/1520-0442(1998)011<2570:IADCIR>2.0.CO;2","article-title":"Interannual and decadal cycles in river flows of southeastern South America","volume":"11","author":"Robertson","year":"1998","journal-title":"J. Clim."},{"key":"ref_17","unstructured":"Jaime, P.R., and Men\u00e9ndez, A.N. (2018, April 27). An\u00e1lisis del R\u00e9gimen Hidrol\u00f3gico de Los R\u00edos Paran\u00e1 y Uruguay, Available online: https:\/\/www.ina.gov.ar\/legacy\/pdf\/LH-Info_FRE_LHA-01-216-02_FrePlata-ParanaUruguay_Jun_2002.pdf."},{"key":"ref_18","unstructured":"Malv\u00e1rez, I., and B\u00f3, R.F. (2004). Grandes Humedales Fluviales, Bases Ecol\u00f3gicas Para la Clasificaci\u00f3n e Inventario de Humedales en Argentina."},{"key":"ref_19","unstructured":"Brown, A., Mart\u00ednez Ortiz, U., Acerbi, M., and Corcuera, J. (2016). Situaci\u00f3n Ambiental en la Ecorregi\u00f3n Delta e Islas del Paran\u00e1. Situaci\u00f3n Ambiental en la Argentina 2005, Fundaci\u00f3n Vida Silvestre Argentina. [1st ed.]."},{"key":"ref_20","unstructured":"Neiff, J.J., Iriondo, M., and Carignan, R. (1994). Large Tropical South American Wetlands: A Review, UNESCO Ecotones Workshop."},{"key":"ref_21","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"105","DOI":"10.1016\/j.rse.2014.01.009","article-title":"Turbid wakes associated with offshore wind turbines observed with Landsat 8","volume":"145","author":"Vanhellemont","year":"2014","journal-title":"Remote Sens. Environ."},{"key":"ref_22","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"89","DOI":"10.1016\/j.rse.2015.02.007","article-title":"Advantages of high quality SWIR bands for ocean colour processing: Examples from Landsat-8","volume":"161","author":"Vanhellemont","year":"2015","journal-title":"Remote Sens. Environ."},{"key":"ref_23","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"157","DOI":"10.1016\/j.rse.2014.09.020","article-title":"A single algorithm to retrieve turbidity from remotely-sensed data in all coastal and estuarine waters","volume":"156","author":"Dogliotti","year":"2015","journal-title":"Remote Sens. Environ."},{"key":"ref_24","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"66","DOI":"10.1016\/j.rse.2015.06.022","article-title":"A SWIR based algorithm to retrieve Total Suspended Matter in extremely turbid waters","volume":"168","author":"Knaeps","year":"2015","journal-title":"Remote Sens. Environ."},{"key":"ref_25","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"3531","DOI":"10.1364\/AO.32.003531","article-title":"Refractive indices of water and ice in the 0.65-2.5 \u03bcm spectral range","volume":"32","author":"Kou","year":"1993","journal-title":"Appl. Opt."},{"key":"ref_26","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"C04002","DOI":"10.1029\/2009JC005511","article-title":"Moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) observations of cyanobacteria blooms in Taihu Lake, China","volume":"115","author":"Hu","year":"2010","journal-title":"J. Geophys. Res. Oceans"},{"key":"ref_27","unstructured":"CIE\/ISO (Commission Internationale de l\u2019Eclairage) (2016). Colorimetry\u2014Part 5: CIE 1976 L*u*v* Colour Space and u\u2019, v\u2019 Uniform Chromaticity Scale Diagram, International Standard ISO\/CIE. [1st ed.]."},{"key":"ref_28","unstructured":"Dogliotti, A.I., Gossn, J.I., Vanhellemont, Q., and Ruddick, K. (2016, January 23\u201328). Large Invasion of Floating Aquatic Plants in the R\u00edo de la Plata Estuary!. Proceedings of the Ocean Optics XXIII Conference, Victoria, BC, Canada. Available online: http:\/\/www.iafe.uba.ar\/wordpress\/filesMarine\/Conferences\/2016_Dogliotti_etal_OO.pdf."},{"key":"ref_29","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"5513","DOI":"10.1080\/01431161.2012.663112","article-title":"Satellitemonitoring of massive green macroalgae bloom (GMB): Imagingability comparison of multi-source data and drifting velocityestimation","volume":"33","author":"Cui","year":"2012","journal-title":"Int. J. Remote Sens."},{"key":"ref_30","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"378","DOI":"10.1007\/s11707-015-0528-1","article-title":"Multi-sensor monitoring of Ulva prolifera blooms in the YellowSea using different methods","volume":"10","author":"Xu","year":"2016","journal-title":"Front. Earth Sci."},{"key":"ref_31","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"27","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ecss.2016.09.013","article-title":"Seasonal and inter-annual turbidity variability in the R\u00edo de la Plata from 15 years of MODIS: El Ni\u00f1o dilution effect","volume":"182","author":"Dogliotti","year":"2016","journal-title":"Estuar. Coast. Shelf Sci."},{"key":"ref_32","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"35","DOI":"10.1016\/j.rse.2014.04.031","article-title":"Distinguishing surface cyanobacterial blooms and aquatic macrophytes using Landsat\/TM and ETM+ shortwave infrared bands","volume":"157","author":"Oyama","year":"2015","journal-title":"Remote Sens. Environ."},{"key":"ref_33","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"298","DOI":"10.1016\/j.rse.2014.08.026","article-title":"A novel MERIS algorithm to derive cyanobacterial phycocyanin pigment concentrations in a eutrophic lake: Theoretical basis and practical considerations","volume":"154","author":"Qi","year":"2014","journal-title":"Remote Sens. Environ."}],"container-title":["Remote Sensing"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2072-4292\/10\/7\/1140\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,11]],"date-time":"2025-10-11T15:13:00Z","timestamp":1760195580000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2072-4292\/10\/7\/1140"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2018,7,19]]},"references-count":33,"journal-issue":{"issue":"7","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2018,7]]}},"alternative-id":["rs10071140"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/rs10071140","relation":{},"ISSN":["2072-4292"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2072-4292","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2018,7,19]]}}}