Monitoring water health with autonomous single-rotor unmanned aerial vehicles

Harmful algae blooms (HABs) regularly occur in the Great Lakes in Canada, particularly in Lake Erie. These HABs produce a toxin called microcystin, which can cause liver damage, numbness, and vomiting in both humans and animals (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [NOAA], 2017). Lake Erie experienced one of its worst HABs in 2019. These HABs do not show signs of slowing down. Calm winds and rainfall around farmlands cause HABs as evaporated nutrients from fertilizers drain into bodies of water. Runoff from fertilizers on farmland also causes HABs. Figure 1 displays satellite images showing a severe HAB in Lake Erie.