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| Amec Selected for Health Checks of Florida Bay and Cardiff Bay The European Space Agency (ESA) has selected international project management and services firm AMEC for a $300, 000 sustainability project that will use earth observation technology to assess the health of two water bodies – Florida Bay in the Everglades and Cardiff Bay in Wales. The sustainability project will involve the processing of satellite imagery to measure the impact of aeration systems and other management techniques used to improve water quality. Earth observation will provide a means of quickly and efficiently demonstrating the results of aeration or diffuser systems and other pollution-control measures designed to prevent the development of low-oxygen conditions. At Cardiff Bay, blue-green algae blooms were predicted for a 187-hectare fresh water lake that was created with the construction of a tidal barrage. However, a 650-diffuser aeration system was developed by AMEC and installed to maintain dissolved oxygen levels, thereby discouraging algae from invading the lake and harming Atlantic salmon and sea trout. It is the largest aeration system of its type in the United Kingdom. Florida Bay, an 850-square-mile estuary in southern Florida, had been known for its clear waters until the late 1980s when turbid water and large and sustained blooms of algae caused population reductions in pink shrimp, sponges, game fish and other wildlife. There is no diffuser system at Florida Bay, but various other pollution-control measures have been implemented as part of a Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan approved in 2000. Regarding the consortium project to develop earth observation standards and validation, Amec's assigned categories are geotechnical risk and renewable and non-renewable resource management. write your comments about the article :: © 2006 Construction News :: home page |