Inland and coastal water quality retrieval. Some challenges and new opportunities

KNAEPS, E.; STERCKX, S.; RAYMAEKERS, D.; RUDDICK, K.; DOGLIOTTI, A. I.; DOXARAN, D.

Workshop; 1st GloboLakes Scientific Workshop; 2012

The limits of optical remote sensing of aquatic systems are being progressively pushed into more and more turbid water, because of growing interest in the environmental impacts of the world’s most important river estuaries/plumes and in the monitoring of inland waters. This evolution has already led to refinement of the black pixel assumption for the near infrared (NIR: 700-1000nm) marine reflectance and to the development of NIR-based Total Suspended Matter (TSM) retrieval algorithms for moderately turbid waters (10-100 g/m3). Extension of such approaches to extremely turbid waters (TSM> 100 g/m3) requires further refinement of theory and atmospheric correction algorithms. Use of the Short Wave Infrared (SWIR, 1-3 mm) range then offers new opportunities, but requires fundamental research and measurements for a sound theoretical basis.