Particle size distribution of river-suspended sediments determined by in situ measured remote-sensing reflectance.

Suspended sediments in water bodies are classified into organic and inorganic matter and have been investigated by remote-sensing technology for years. Focusing on inorganic matter, however, detailed information such as the grain size of this matter has not been provided yet. In this study, we present a new solution for estimating inorganic suspended sediments' size distribution in highly complex Case 2 waters by using a simple spectrometer sensor rather than a backscattering sensor. An experiment was carried out in the Pearl River Estuary (PRE) in the dry season to collect the remote-sensing reflectance (Rrs) and particle size distribution (PSD) of inorganic suspended sediments. Based on Mie theory, PSDs in the PRE waters were retrieved by Rrs, colored dissolved organic matter, and phytoplankton. The retrieved median diameters in 12 stations show good agreement with those of laboratory analysis at root mean square error of 2.604 μm (27.63%), bias of 1.924 μm (20.42%), and mean absolute error of 2.298 μm (24.37%). The retrieved PSDs and previous PSDs were compared, and the features of PSDs in the PRE waters were concluded.

[1]  Wei Huang,et al.  Clay minerals in surface sediments of the Pearl River drainage basin and their contribution to the South China Sea , 2007 .

[2]  H. Gordon,et al.  Size-refractive index distribution of clear coastal water particulates from light scattering. , 1974, Applied optics.

[3]  L. Prieur,et al.  Analysis of variations in ocean color1 , 1977 .

[4]  H. Gordon,et al.  A THEORETICAL MODEL OF LIGHT SCATTERING BY SARGASSO SEA PARTICULATES1 , 1972 .

[5]  R. Folk,et al.  Brazos River bar [Texas]; a study in the significance of grain size parameters , 1957 .

[6]  H. Gordon.  Influence of Raman scattering on the light field in natural waters: a simple assessment. , 2014, Optics express.

[7]  Ashley M. Woods,et al.  Spatial mapping of Pearl River Estuary surface sediment geochemistry: Influence of data analysis on environmental interpretation , 2012 .

[8]  L. Prieur,et al.  Absorption by dissolved organic matter of the sea (yellow substance) in the UV and visible domains1 , 1981 .

[9]  Mukesh Gupta,et al.  Contribution of Raman Scattering in Remote Sensing Retrieval of Suspended Sediment Concentration by Empirical Modeling , 2015, IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Applied Earth Observations and Remote Sensing.

[10]  H. Gordon,et al.  Diffuse reflectance of the ocean: some effects of vertical structure. , 1975, Applied optics.

[11]  William M. Balch,et al.  Light backscattering properties of marine phytoplankton: relationships to cell size, chemical composition and taxonomy , 2004 .

[12]  Dariusz Stramski,et al.  Spectral dependency of optical backscattering by marine particles from satellite remote sensing of the global ocean , 2006 .

[13]  C. Yentsch,et al.  Use of glass fiber filters for the rapid preparation of in vivo absorption spectra of photosynthetic bacteria , 1967, Journal of bacteriology.

[14]  Mobasheri Mohammad Reza,et al.  Assessment of Suspended Sediments Concentration in Surface Waters, Using Modis Images , 2008 .

[15]  Fei Yu,et al.  An evolutionary model for the Holocene formation of the Pearl River delta, China , 2009 .

[16]  D. Roberts,et al.  Remote sensing of suspended sediment concentration during turbid flood conditions on the Feather River, California—A modeling approach , 2012 .

[17]  K. Baker,et al.  Optical properties of the clearest natural waters (200-800 nm). , 1981, Applied optics.

[18]  H. Gordon,et al.  Computed relationships between the inherent and apparent optical properties of a flat homogeneous ocean. , 1975, Applied optics.

[19]  Yan Li,et al.  Observations on the size and settling velocity distributions of suspended sediment in the Pearl River Estuary, China , 2004 .

[20]  David A. Siegel,et al.  Retrieval of the particle size distribution from satellite ocean color observations , 2009 .

[21]  M. A. Lodhi,et al.  THE POTENTIAL FOR REMOTE SENSING OF LOESS SOILS SUSPENDED IN SURFACE WATERS 1 , 1997 .