Remote sensing parameter model of suspended sediment and its application in the Yangtze River estuary

To study the relationship between suspended sediment concentrations (SSC) prepared in laboratory and synchronously measured spectral reflectance, the optimal wavelengths to estimate SSC in water were selected. The single factor, band ratio and sediment parameter quantitative retrieval models of SSC were constructed using these optimal wavelength means, and the suspended sediment parameter model was used to retrieve the SSC in the Yangtze River estuary. Results show that the models built by single factor B4 (780-835nm) and band radio B4 (780-835nm)/B1(430-500nm) respectively can estimate the SSC accurately. The retrieval model of SSC constructed by suspended sediment parameter can get a relatively higher accuracy level than the single factor and band ratio models. The suspended sediment parameter model applied to the Yangtze River estuary exhibits a strong capability to map the SSC distribution. In this paper, experimental measuring of SSC in water and reflectance can not only keep the data obtained synchronously but also weaken the influence of atmosphere on reflectance. The inversion models of SSC developed by these data are of good representations.