A bio-optical database for the remote sensing of water quality in BRAZil coAstal and inland waters (BRAZA).

Journal: Scientific data
Published Date: Jul 21, 2025

Abstract

Understanding water quality (WQ) is essential for grasping biogeochemical cycles and assessing human impacts such as deforestation, climate change, dam construction, illegal mining, and urbanization. However, monitoring WQ across Brazil's vast aquatic systems requires significant resources. Remote sensing improves this process by offering high-resolution and large-scale observations. Nevertheless, to produce reliable remote-sensing WQ products based on remote sensing demands comprehensive datasets with concurrent aquatic reflectance and in situ measurements (e.g., Chlorophyll-a, Secchi Disk Depth, Suspended Sediments). Such data enables advanced semi-analytical and machine learning models to capture Brazil's bio-optical water complexity. Collaborative efforts and open-data sharing are essential for building these datasets. Here, we introduce a new curated, high-quality bio-optical dataset across different aquatic systems in Brazil, called BRAZA (Bio-optical aquatic database for remote sensing of water quality in BRAZil coAstal and inland waters). By leveraging data from 17 institutions, covering 2,895 stations across + 128 lakes, rivers, reservoirs, and coastal areas of Brazil's five administrative regions our dataset presents an important contribution to support remote sensing WQ-based analysis in Brazil.

Authors

  • Daniel Andrade Maciel
    Earth Science Coordination of National Institute for Space Research (INPE), São José dos Campos, SP, Brazil. daniel.maciel@inpe.br.
  • Claudio Clemente Faria Barbosa
    Earth Science Coordination of National Institute for Space Research (INPE), São José dos Campos, SP, Brazil.
  • Evlyn Márcia Leão de Moraes Novo
    Earth Science Coordination of National Institute for Space Research (INPE), São José dos Campos, SP, Brazil.
  • Raianny Leite do Nascimento Wanderley
    Earth Science Coordination of National Institute for Space Research (INPE), São José dos Campos, SP, Brazil.
  • Pedro Bacellar
    Earth Science Coordination of National Institute for Space Research (INPE), São José dos Campos, SP, Brazil.
  • Lohan Barbosa Baia
    Federal University of Pará, Belém, PA, Brazil.
  • Henrique Bernini
    Earth Science Coordination of National Institute for Space Research (INPE), São José dos Campos, SP, Brazil.
  • Rafael G Chasles
    Earth Science Coordination of National Institute for Space Research (INPE), São José dos Campos, SP, Brazil.
  • Aurea Ciotti
    CEBIMAR/USP, São Sebastião, SP, Brazil.
  • Alice Fassoni-Andrade
    University of Brasília (UnB), Institute of Geosciences, Brasília, Brazil.
  • Rogério Flores Júnior
    Earth Science Coordination of National Institute for Space Research (INPE), São José dos Campos, SP, Brazil.
  • Thainara Lima
    Department of Agricultural & Biological Engineering, Mississippi State University (MSU), Mississippi State, MS, 39762, USA.
  • Fernando Lopes
    Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil.
  • Rogério Ribeiro Marinho
    Federal University of Amazonas, Manaus, AM, Brazil.
  • André Martinelli
    Geological Survey of Brazil, Manaus, Brazil.
  • Vitor S Martins
    Department of Agricultural & Biological Engineering, Mississippi State University (MSU), Mississippi State, MS, 39762, USA.
  • Marcela Miranda
    Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, US.
  • Gabriel Moiano Cesar
    Earth Science Coordination of National Institute for Space Research (INPE), São José dos Campos, SP, Brazil.
  • David da Motta Marques
    Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
  • Maurício Almeida Noernberg
    Center of Marine Studies, Federal University of Paraná (CEM/UFPR), Pontal do Paraná, PR, Brasil.
  • Fernanda Helena Oliveira da Silva
    Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil.
  • Felipe Pacheco
    Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, US.
  • Rejane S Paulino
    Department of Agricultural & Biological Engineering, Mississippi State University (MSU), Mississippi State, MS, 39762, USA.
  • Waterloo Pereira Filho
    Federal University of Santa Maria (UFSM), Santa Maria, RS, Brasil.
  • Júlio César Pimenta Dos Santos
    Earth Science Coordination of National Institute for Space Research (INPE), São José dos Campos, SP, Brazil.
  • Lino Augusto Sander de Carvalho
    Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
  • Marcio Sousa da Silva
    Vale Institute of Technology (ITV), Belém, PA, Brazil.
  • Matheus Henrique Tavares
    Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
  • Marta Ummus
    Embrapa Pesca e Aquicultura, Palmas, TO, Brazil.
  • Aline de Matos Valério
    Earth Science Coordination of National Institute for Space Research (INPE), São José dos Campos, SP, Brazil.
  • Pedro Walfir M E Souza Filho
    Federal University of Pará, Belém, PA, Brazil.
  • Fernanda Sayuri Yoshino Watanabe
    Department of Cartography, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Presidente Prudente, SP, Brazil.
  • Rafaela Cristine Zem
    Center of Marine Studies, Federal University of Paraná (CEM/UFPR), Pontal do Paraná, PR, Brasil.

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