A sensor on the International Space Station that helps map minerals was able to help track water contaminants off the San Diego coast. According to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, researchers involved in a study of the instrument’s capabilities found that it could potentially help track some water contaminants faster than traditional means. The instrument is called the Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation (EMIT) and it observes sunlight reflecting off the Earth. Recently, EMIT was used to examine the wastewater from the Tijuana River as it emptied into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Imperial Beach. … Researchers examined EMIT’s images pixel by pixel and were able to identify signs that indicated certain molecules present in specific areas of the image. When they cross-referenced their findings with water testing done on those same areas of the Pacific Ocean, the findings lined up, helping detect phycocyanin, a pigment in cyanobacteria, which can make humans and animals sick.

Other water pollution news:

• NASA: News release: NASA sensor on space station eyes contamination off California coast
• Courthouse News Service: Mercury in rivers surges to levels with serious consequences
• KOAA (Colorado Springs, Colo.): State updates fish advisories amid PFAS concerns in southern Colorado waters
• Natural Resources Defense Council: Blog: It’s time for California to act on nitrogen pollution
• American Society for Microbiology: News release: ASM and AGU (American Geophysical Union) offer critical strategies to protect public health and safe drinking water amid climate change