Remote sensing of spatial-temporal distribution of suspended sediment and analysis of related environmental factors in Hangzhou Bay, China

Abstract

In this study, a total of 37 images of Landsat Operational Land Imager/Thematic Mapper/Enhanced Thematic Mapper plus were adopted to delineate the qualitative changes of Suspended Sediment Concentration (SSC) in Hangzhou Bay, China. Combined with in-situ SSC, remote sensing reflectance of the water (R_rs), water depth and simulated currents, the influence of both seabed topography and tidal currents on the SSC distribution was analysed. The results showed: (1) four High SSC Areas (HSA) and two Low SSC areas (LSA) in Hangzhou Bay. (2) SSC has a negative correlation with bathymetry, which is especially obvious during mid to late period of flood tide. HSAs appear in the shallow water (3–7 m depth) area, while the LSAs distribute in the deep water area (10–15 m depth). (3) The surface SSC distribution during the mid to late period of flood tide can help us estimate the topography information. The results of this paper can be used to other coastal embayments similar to Hangzhou Bay.

Acknowledgements

The Center for Earth Observation and Digital Earth, Chinese Academy of Sciences provided Landsat TM and OLI data. The views, opinions, and findings contained in this report are those of the authors and should not be construed as an official NOAA or U.S. Government position, policy or decision.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Key Program of National Natural Sciences Foundation of China under Grant 41430968; China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation under Grant 313099; and Research project Natural Science Foundation of Zhejiang province under Grant LQ14D060001.