Remote sensing of the biological dynamics of large-scale salt evaporation ponds

Optical properties of salt evaporation ponds associated with Exportadora de Sal, a salt production company in Baja California Sur, Mexico, were analyzed using a combination of spectroradiometer and extracted pigment data, and Landsat-5 Thematic Mapper imagery. The optical characteristics of each pond are determined by the biota, which consists of dense populations of algae and photosynthetic bacteria containing a wide variety of photosynthetic and photoprotective pigments. Analysis has shown that spectral and image data can differentiate between taxonomic groups of the microbiota, detect changes in population distributions, and reveal large-scale seasonal dynamics.