Australia is expanding water quality monitoring from space. 

Australia’s AquaWatch system - a mission to develop a ‘weather service’ for water quality - will be established in the UK, following bilateral support and funding from the two countries’ space agencies.  

CSIRO launched AquaWatch Australia in 2023 with a network of collaborators to develop a national system for monitoring water quality, including early warning forecasts.

Since then, AquaWatch has established multiple test sites with the ability to monitor bays, coastal wetlands, rivers, dams, lakes, aquaculture farming and coral reefs, including the Southern Great Barrier Reef. 

The creation of AquaWatch UK is the first time the initiative will be rolled out by another country on a national scale, expanding on a test site at Plymouth Sound.

AquaWatch was announced as a supported project under the UK Space Agency’s International Bilateral Fund, with co-funding from the Australian Space Agency, as part of the longstanding UK-Australia Space Bridge initiative.

Under the UK-Australia Space Bridge, partners will receive funding to advance the AquaWatch system in Australia and establish AquaWatch in the UK, leveraging expertise and technology across both countries.

AquaWatch Australia Mission Lead, Dr Alex Held, said AquaWatch integrates data from both a network of water-based sensors and satellite sensors.

“It’s a system we’re developing for Australia, but that can be adapted for other countries in need of national near-real time updates and forecasts,” Dr Held said.

“The importance of high-quality satellite data for AquaWatch means that global collaborations such as this help to enhance the system for everyone.”

Head of the Australian Space Agency Enrico Palermo said this funding builds on the collaboration fostered through the UK-Australia Space Bridge.

“Projects like AquaWatch reiterate how space technology, like Earth observation, can help address the biggest global challenges we are facing, as well as the power of working together to solve a common problem,” he said.