Estimation of suspended sediment concentration in water using integrated surface reflectance

Abstract

The reflectance spectra of suspended sediments derived from a silty soil were analyzed in an effort to measure suspended sediment concentration (SSC) in surface waters. Twenty levels of SSC (50 to 1000 mg/l) were created in a large tank filled with 7510 liters of clear water. Reflectance measurements were made using a high resolution spectroradiometer. The spectroradiometer data were integrated into the band widths of Landsat‐TM. The simulated TM bands were then used to develop regression models for estimating SSC. We found that the spectroradiometer data, integrated into the band width of Landsat‐TM 4, when used in second‐order regression models, is the best estimator of SSC.