An empirical algorithm for retreiving salinity in the Arabian Gulf: Application to Landsat-8 data

Abstract

The Arabian Gulf is located in an arid region in the Middle East. Salinity in the Arabian Gulf can exceed 43 practical salinity units (psu) caused by high evaporation, low precipitation, and desalination discharge. In this study, a regional algorithm to retrieve salinity was developed using in situ measurements conducted between June 2013 and November 2014 along the western coast of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE). A multivariate linear regression model was proposed, which resulted in a determination coefficient (R2) of 0.7. Then the algorithm was applied to Landsat-8 data, which revealed the spatial distribution of salinity over the Arabian Gulf with high values in coastal waters while low values in offshore waters. The findings can assist in better understanding of the water mass exchange between the Arabian Gulf and the Sea of Oman through the Strait of Hormuz, assessing the accuracy of salinity from numerical models, illustrating the seasonal and inter-annual variations of salinity in the saline Arabian Gulf, etc.