Discrete surface water hyperspectral data, South San Francisco Bay

Mercury pollution is a concern in aquatic environments where it binds to particles, is methylated, and bioaccumulates in food webs. In systems like San Francisco Bay that have a history of mercury contamination from mining, gold extraction, and industrial activity, tracking mercury in surface waters is critical. We developed the Mercury Mapping and Assessment Pipeline (HgMAP), a novel approach for tracking mercury and methylmercury in San Francisco Bay surface waters using satellite imagery. HgMAP leverages biogeochemical relationships between mercury, total suspended solids (TSS), colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM), and other environmental variables. From August 2022 to June 2024, we collected hyperspectral surface water color radiometric data and discrete water samples analyzed for mercury species, TSS, and CDOM (measured as absorption at 440 nm, a440). The resulting dataset was used to establish the predictive models and remote sensing retrieval algorithms that comprise HgMAP. This data release contains the hyperspectral surface water color radiometric data that was used to test and tune retrieval algorithms for TSS and CDOM, and to validate satellite atmospheric correction techniques. Surface spectra were collected with a Spectra Vista Corporation HR-512i at stations where corresponding discrete in-water data was collected.