Monitoring of regional lake water clarity using Landsat imagery

The application of remote sensing technology to water quality monitoring has special significance for lake management at regional scale. Water clarity expressed in terms of Secchi disk transparency (SDT) is a highly useful indicator of trophic status and ecosystem health. In this study, we related L...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Bonansea, Matias, Bazán, Raquel, Ledesma, Claudia, Rodriguez, Claudia, Pinotti, Lucio Pedro
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2015
País:Argentina
Institución:Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
Repositorio:CONICET Digital (CONICET)
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/69975
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/11336/69975
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Algorithm
Landsat
Remote Sensing
Reservoir
Secchi Disk Transparency
Water Clarity
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/2.7
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/2
Descripción
Sumario:The application of remote sensing technology to water quality monitoring has special significance for lake management at regional scale. Water clarity expressed in terms of Secchi disk transparency (SDT) is a highly useful indicator of trophic status and ecosystem health. In this study, we related Landsat TM and ETM+ data with ground observations to develop a model for the estimation of SDT which can be used as a standardized procedure for regional-scale lake clarity assessment in the central region of Argentina. Samples were taken from two reservoirs of the region. Pearson correlation coefficients and step-wise multiple regression analysis were used to evaluate correlation between Landsat bands and measured SDT. Results suggested that Landsat band 3 plus the ratio 1/3 was a consistent and reliable predictor of SDT (R2 = 0.80). The algorithm was validated (R2 = 0.81) and applied to the November 10, 2010 ETM+ image obtaining a map that characterized water clarity of reservoirs within the study area. The procedure presented here could become a low cost measurement tool for water management authorities and decision-makers, obtaining simpler and practical results for regional water clarity monitoring.