Study on the quantitative model of suspended sediment from MODIS in the Yangtze River

Abstract

Remote sensing techniques are used widely to observe bodies of water. Among satellite sensors commonly used for water quality studies, the Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) has potential in water quality monitoring, because of moderate spatial resolution and high temporal resolution. In this paper, the utility of MODIS satellite imagery for suspended sediment monitoring in the estuary and the middle Yangtze River is investigated. Using the Yangtze estuary, China as an example, we explored the potential for using MODIS 250 m bands for suspended sediment study. It is shown that suspended sediment concentration correlates well with reflectance values retrieved from MODIS 250 m image data (R2=0.85, n=25). In the middle Yangtze River, It is concluded that suspended sediment concentration correlates well with reflectance values (R1-R2)/(R1+R2) retrieved from MODIS 250m image data (R2=0.72, n=41). Based on this correlation, we obtain the empirical model of suspended sediment concentration in the middle Yangtze River from MODIS. It is shown that it is useful for MODIS data to monitor this parameter of water quality.