Suspended Sediment within Estuaries and along Coasts: A Review of Spatial and Temporal Variations based on Remote Sensing

Abstract

Wang, C.; Wang, D.; Yang, J.; Fu, S., and Li, D., 2020. Suspended sediment within estuaries and along coasts: A review of spatial and temporal variations based on remote sensing. Journal of Coastal Research, 36(6), 1323–1331. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208.Suspended sediment is an essential factor in the ecological environment of estuaries and coasts because it significantly affects the optical properties of the water body. Studies on suspended sediment concentration in estuaries and coasts have garnered attention for a long time. Remote sensing is important in the monitoring of suspended sediment. Previous studies have made considerable technological and theoretical progress and obtained significant achievements. However, several current studies have focused on the establishment of suspended sediment–retrieval models. There is still considerable scope of extensive and applied research on suspended sediment in estuaries and coasts. Based on a general retrospect of research studies on suspended sediment, this article summarizes the processes and tendency of suspended sediment development and provides perspectives for future studies on suspended sediment in estuaries and coasts. These perspectives include (1) increased focus on the examination of the suspended sediment–retrieval model of the multiple-band forms belonging to nonmonotonic functions and aimed at improving applicability, (2) strengthened research on the impacts of extreme weather conditions on suspended sediment concentration to identify the features of abnormal changes, and (3) increased effort in the research of long-term spatial and temporal variations of suspended sediment concentration in estuaries and coasts to promote better understanding of the rules and trends of its change.