IIT Bombay unveils 'IMPART', can track climate change via lake water temperature

The researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay IIT Bombay have unveiled IMPART a webbased application designed to monitor changing water surface temperatures with unparalleled accuracyDeveloped by Kumar Nitish and Prof J Indu from the Department of Civil Engineering and Interdisciplinary Centre for Climate Studies this opensource tool offers a transformative approach to tracking climate changersquos impact on freshwater ecosystemsStudies have consistently shown that water surface temperatures in seas rivers and lakes are rising due to climate change and human activities This trend is particularly alarming in Asia where river and lake temperatures are increasing at unprecedented rates In 2023 global sea surface temperatures saw their steepest rise in more than a century underscoring the urgent need for effective monitoring toolsWater bodies unlike land masses heat up slowly making their surface temperatures a critical indicator of global warming These temperature changes impact aquatic life reduce oxygen levels and can lead to harmful algal blooms threatening both biodiversity and water resources Accurate and dynamic monitoring of these changes is vital for effective water resource management and ecological conservationIMPART A revolutionary approachIMPART short for Integration of dynaMic water extents towards improved lake water surface temperature bridges the gaps left by traditional monitoring methods which often assume static lake areas By incorporating dynamic changes in lake extentsmdashaffected by factors like urbanization seasonal shifts and temperature variationsmdashIMPART provides a more accurate representation of lake water surface temperaturesldquoAccounting for dynamic changes in lake water surface extents significantly improves the accuracy of temperature estimationsrdquo explains Prof Indu ldquoThis approach offers a more nuanced understanding of how freshwater ecosystems respond to climate change Indu addedHow IMPART worksIMPART utilizes data from satellite instruments such as MODIS and LANDSAT along with lake extent images sourced from Google Earth Engine By combining this data the tool calculates both static and dynamic lake water surface temperatures For its dynamic module IMPART factors in realtime changes in lake areas offering a level of precision previously unattainableIn a comprehensive study involving 342 lakes worldwidemdashincluding 115 in Indiamdashthe tool revealed significant differences between static and dynamic temperature estimates for more than half the lakes analyzed The differences were particularly pronounced in tropical arid and temperate zones where climatic variability has a greater influence on water bodiesFuture potentialIMPARTrsquos intuitive interface makes it accessible to researchers policymakers and environmental organizations Beyond its primary function of tracking lake water temperatures the tool holds potential for applications in water resource management ecological health assessments and earlywarning systems for lakes under environmental stressldquoThis tool enables climate scientists to monitor freshwater ecosystems with greater accuracy and offers insights that can inform policies to mitigate climate changersquos impactrdquo says NitishProf Indu added ldquoIMPART is not just a monitoring toolmdashitrsquos a step toward understanding and preserving our planetrsquos vital water resourcesrdquoA Milestone in climate ScienceAs the effects of climate change intensify tools like IMPART are becoming indispensable By providing precise dynamic measurements of lake water surface temperatures IIT Bombayrsquos latest innovation empowers researchers and decisionmakers to address the challenges of climate change headon