South Korea to Use AI to Improve Harmful Algae Bloom Forecasts

To better respond to recurring summer algae blooms, the South Korean government is introducing an artificial intelligence-based forecasting system. 

The National Institute of Environmental Research, under the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment, said it will begin operating a new algae-bloom forecasting service starting on the 4th. The service combines AI with existing methods to improve forecast accuracy.

Until now, major drinking-water sources such as the Mulgeum-Maeri area of the Nakdong River and Daecheong Lake on the Geum River have received algae forecasts based on 3D numerical models, but those models have had limits in reflecting rapidly changing conditions. 

The institute said climate change has brought rising water temperatures and shifting rainfall patterns, increasing variability in when blooms occur and how severe they become. That has made early forecasting and preemptive response more important, it said.

Beginning this year, the institute added AI-based forecasting to its numerical models to improve precision and deliver information more quickly.
 
Monitoring will also expand through the algae alert system. Four additional drinking-water sites — Uiam Lake in the Han River system, Yeongcheon Lake in the Nakdong River system, Yongdam Lake in the Geum River system, and Okjeong Lake in the Yeongsan-Seomjin River system — will be added, bringing the total to 13. The institute plans to expand the number of alert sites to 28 by 2030.

Forecast results will be posted regularly on the Mulmoa Platform twice a week from May through October and shared with relevant agencies for use in advance response planning.

The institute said it will continue refining the AI model and aims to apply it by 2030 to all nationwide drinking-water sites covered by the algae alert system.
 
Kim Kyung-hyun, head of the institute’s Water Environment Research Department, said combining advanced AI with numerical models will be a key tool to strengthen response to algae blooms. He said the institute will bolster scientific forecasting capabilities to help ensure a clean water environment the public can use with confidence.