THE PROJECT IS DESIGNED TO MEET THE WATER MANAGEMENT NEEDS BY THE SFWMD AND USACE WITH THE ULTIMATE GOAL OF INCORPORATING STATE-OF-THE-ART REMOTE SENSING PHYSICAL-BIOLOGICAL MODELS AND HISTORICAL INFORMATION IN THEIR EXISTING DSIS. SPECIFICALLY THE PROJECT HAS THE FOLLOWING OBJECTIVES: 1) DEVELOP VALIDATED ALGORITHMS AND DATA PRODUCTS TO ASSESS AND MONITOR ALGAE BLOOMS IN LO AND DOWNSTREAM ESTUARIES THROUGH THE USE OF MULTIPLE SENSORS (MODIS MERIS OLCI ETM+ OLI MSI); 2) CONDUCT TARGETED FIELD SURVEYS TO UNDERSTAND ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROLS OF ALGAE BLOOMS IN SLE AND CRE ; 3) DEVELOP PHYSICAL-BIOLOGICAL MODELS FOR SLE AND CRE TO UNDERSTAND BLOOM DYNAMICS PARTICULARLY THE POTENTIAL LINKAGE BETWEEN WATER DISCHARGE LOCAL FORCING AND ALGAE BLOOMS; 4) EXAMINE HISTORICAL DATA OF BLOOM CHARACTERISTICS PRECIPITATION AND DISCHARGE THROUGH MULTI-VARIATE ANALYSIS AND PHYSICAL-BIOLOGICAL MODELING; 5) DEVELOP A BLOOM PROBABILITY MATRIX TO PREDICT BLOOMS USING CURRENT AND FUTURE CONDITIONS; 6) INCORPORATE THE MATRIX PROTOTYPE SHORT-TERM MODEL FORECAST AND CURRENT WATER QUALITY STATE (DETERMINED BY BOTH IN SITU MONITORING AND REMOTE SENSING) AS WELL AS WEATHER AND HYDROLOGIC CONDITIONS IN THE DSIS TO IMPROVE WATER DISCHARGE DECISION MAKING; 7) DEVELOP CAPACITY FOR SUSTAINABLE USE OF THE NEW TOOLS.