A semi-analytical model to estimate Chlorophyll-a spatial-temporal patterns from Orbita Hyperspectral image in inland eutrophic waters.

It can be challenging to accurately estimate the Chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) concentration in inland eutrophic lakes due to lakes' extremely complex optical properties. The Orbita Hyperspectral (OHS) satellite, with its high spatial resolution (10 m), high spectral resolution (2.5 nm), and high temporal resolution (2.5 d), has great potential for estimating the Chl-a concentration in inland eutrophic waters. However, the estimation capability and radiometric performance of OHS have received limited examination. In this study, we developed a new quasi-analytical algorithm (QAA716) for estimating Chl-a using OHS images. Based on the optical properties in Dianchi Lake, the ability of OHS to remotely estimate Chl-a was evaluated by comparing the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and the noise equivalent of Chl-a (NEChl-a). The main findings are as follows: (1) QAA716 achieved significantly better results than those of the other three QAA models, and the Chl-a estimation model, using QAA716, produced robust results with a mean absolute percentage difference (MAPD) of 11.54 %, which was better than existing Chl-a estimation models; (2) The FLAASH (Fast Line-of-sight Atmospheric Analysis of Spectral Hypercubes) atmospheric correction model (MAPD = 22.22 %) was more suitable for OHS image compared to the other three atmospheric correction models we tested; (3) OHS had relatively moderate SNR and NEChl-a, improving its ability to accurately detect Chl-a concentration and resulting in an average SNR of 59.47 and average NEChl-a of 72.86 µg/L; (4) The increased Chl-a concentration in Dianchi Lake was primarily related to the nutrients input, and this had a significant positive correlation with total nitrogen. These findings expand existing knowledge of the capabilities and limitations of OHS in remotely estimating Chl-a, thereby facilitating effective water quality management in eutrophic lake environments.

Tracking spatio-temporal dynamics of POC sources in eutrophic lakes by remote sensing.

Estimating the proportions of particulate organic carbon (POC) endmembers is essential to fully understand the carbon cycle, the function of aquatic ecosystems, and the migration of contaminants in eutrophic lakes. There is currently no effective remote sensing optical algorithm in the literature to solve this problem. In this study, a POC-source color index (SPOC) was constructed based on the terrestrial and endogenous POC ratios calculated from field-measured stable isotope (δ13CPOC) values. The SPOC algorithm traces the sources of POC by utilizing three spectral bands centered approximately at 560 nm, 674 nm, and 709 nm, covering the intrinsic optical information of different POC sources. At the same time, the SPOC algorithm shows good applicability to Ocean and Land Color Instrument (OLCI), Medium-Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS), Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), and Geostationary Ocean Color Imager (GOCI) image data. The POC sources estimated using the algorithm and monthly OLCI data showed that from March 2018 to January 2019, the POC at the surface of Lake Taihu was mainly terrigenous. In addition, due to multiple factors such as algal blooms, plant physiology, river transport, regional rainfall, and carbon cycling, the distribution of POC sources exhibited strong spatial and temporal heterogeneity. Compared with other methods, it is more convenient to use remote sensing to identify the proportion of POC in different endmembers, which offers a more comprehensive understanding of the energy flows and material circulation in lakes.

An approach for retrieval of horizontal and vertical distribution of total suspended matter concentration from GOCI data over Lake Hongze.

There are a few studies working on the vertical distribution of TSM, however, understanding the underwater profile of TSM is of great benefit to the study of biogeochemical processes in the water column that still require further research. In this study, three data-gathering expeditions were conducted in Lake Hongze (HZL), China, between 2016 and 2018. Based on the in situ optical and biological data, a multivariate linear stepwise regression method was applied for retrieval of the surface horizontal distribution of TSM (TSM0.2) using GOCI (Geostationary Ocean Color Imager) data. Then, the estimation model of vertical structure of underwater TSM was constructed using layer-by-layer recursion. This study drew several crucial findings: (1) the approach proposed in this paper generated very high goodness of fit results, with determination coefficients (R2) of 0.83 (p < 0.001, N = 54), and with smaller prediction errors (the mean absolute percentage error is determined to be 16.34%, the root mean square error is 9.01 mg l-1, and the mean ratio is 1.00, N = 26). (2) The monthly surface TSM and the column mass of suspended matter (CMSM) are affected by both wind speed and precipitation in HZL. In addition, the hourly variation of surface TSM and CMSM are driven by local wind, most especially in spring and winter. (3) Compared with the non-uniform hypothesis, the CMSM derived by conventional vertical uniformity hypothesis was underestimated by almost 10% in HZL during 2016. This should warrant the attention of lake managers and lake environmental evolution researchers.

Long-term observation of cyanobacteria blooms using multi-source satellite images: a case study on a cloudy and rainy lake.

High-frequency and reliable data on cyanobacteria blooming over a long time period is crucial to identify the outbreak mechanism of blooms and to forecast future trends. However, in cloudy and rainy areas, it is difficult to retrieve useful satellite images, especially in the rainy season. To address this problem, we used data from the HJ-1/CCD (Chinese environment and disaster monitoring and forecasting satellite/charge coupled device), GF-1/WFV (Chinese high-resolution satellite/wide field of view), and Landsat-8/OLI (Operational Land Imager) satellites to generate a time series of the bloom area from 2009 to 2016 in Dianchi Lake, China. We then correlated the responses of bloom dynamics to meteorological factors. Several findings can be drawn: (1) a higher bloom frequency and a larger bloom area occurred in 2011, 2013, and 2016, compared to the other years; (2) the frequency of blooms peaked in April, August, and November each year and expanded from north to south starting in July; (3) air temperature in spring and sunshine hours in summer greatly correlated to the yearly bloom area; (4) wind speed and sunshine hours strongly affected the short-term expansion of blooms and thereafter influenced the monthly bloom scale; and (5) rainfall had a strong short-term influence on the occurrence of blooms. Cyanobacteria blooms often occurred when wind speeds were less than 2.35 ± 0.78 m/s in the dry season and 2.01 ± 0.75 m/s in the rainy season, when there were 48 to 72 h of sunshine in the dry season and 35 to 57 h of sunshine in the rainy season, and when there was more than 10 mm of daily precipitation.

Remote observation of water clarity patterns in Three Gorges Reservoir and Dongting Lake of China and their probable linkage to the Three Gorges Dam based on Landsat 8 imagery.

The Secchi disk depth (ZSD) plays a critical role in describing water clarity. Several studies have shown linkages between Three Gorges Dam (TGD) and the downstream lacustrine ecosystem in the middle and lower Yangtze River basin. However, the potential influence on the ZSD fluctuation in the entire anthropogenic reservoirs of Three Gorges (ER) and Dongting Lake (DTL) has not been reported, possibly due to technical obstacles in obtaining statistically significant spatial and temporal results. We addressed this challenge by using remote sensing technology: the Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI). We proposed a new, robust remote-sensing algorithm to estimate ZSD from OLI imagery using red and green band-ratio, leading to MAPE of 21.68% and RMSE of 0.076m for ZSD ranging from 0.1m to 1.05m. After satisfactory image-based validation, the algorithm was implemented on OLI data to derive ZSD patterns over ER and DTL from 2013 to 2017. Several crucial findings can be drawn: 1) Spatial-temporal patterns of ZSD exhibited notable fluctuations over both ER and DTL, and they also demonstrated a significant correlation with each other because of the opposite temporal cycle of ZSD fluctuations between ER and DTL; 2) Temporally, monthly fluctuations of ZSD between ER and DTL had opposite temporal cycles, which was mainly attributed to the surface runoff and sediment discharge driven by the outbound runoff variations of TGD. Spatially, the heterogeneity of the ZSD pattern in ER might have resulted from the different geographical regions being divided by large anthropologic hydrological facilities, such as TGD; 3) The relationship between ZSD and total suspended matter (TSM) showed a significant negative correlation, as did the relationship between ZSD and Kd(490). These findings demonstrate that TSM often plays a principal role in light attenuation of extremely turbid inland waters; 4) An inversed phenomenon of water clarity was observed at the intersection of DTL and the Yangtze River around Chenglingji site (YRAC), which was due to the opposite temporal cycle of ZSD fluctuations between DTL and ER after the impoundment of TGD; and 5) Owing to the analysis of noise-equivalent ZSD, OLI data can be used to derive ZSD, since the imagery uncertainty is 0.07m by means of our band-ratio algorithm, which demonstrates similar results to MODIS. The proposed ZSD-derived algorithm in this study could be suitable for other turbid lakes or reservoirs to formulate related strategies of water quality management in the middle and lower Yangtze River basin, and the unveiled findings here improve our understanding of ZSD spatiotemporal fluctuations in large river-connected lakes, such as Poyang Lake.

Tempo-spatial dynamics of water quality and its response to river flow in estuary of Taihu Lake based on GOCI imagery.

Knowledge of tempo-spatial dynamics of water quality and its response to river flow is important for the management of lake water quality because river discharge associated with rainstorms can be an important source of pollutants to the estuary. Total phosphorus (TP), chlorophyll a (Chl-a), and total suspended matter (TSM) are important indexes of water quality and important factors influencing eutrophication and algal blooms. In this study, remote sensing was used to monitor these indexes to investigate the effects of river discharge on the estuary of Taihu Lake by the largest inflow river which is Chendong River using a total of 136 Geostationary Ocean Color Images (GOCI). In situ datasets collected during the four cruise experiments on Taihu Lake between 2011 and 2015 were used to develop the TP, Chl-a, and TSM inversion models based on simple empirical algorithms: 154 points for TP (mg/L), 114 for Chl-a (µg/L), and 181 for TSM (mg/L). The spatial and temporal changes of the concentration of the three parameters in the Chendong River estuary were analyzed by combining the GOCI data, the flow of the Chendong River, and meteorological data throughout the year in 2014. The several key findings are as follows: (1) In summer and autumn, TP, Chl-a, and TSM contents were significantly higher than in winter and spring. TP and Chl-a have a few similar distribution characteristics. And organic suspended matter in summer was the main reason for the increase of the TSM concentration. (2) The severe surface erosion in the rivers cannot be ignored; the high erodibility is an important factor in the increase of TP and TSM concentrations in the estuary. The concentration of the water quality parameter showed exponential decay with distance from the shore. The concentration decreased slowly after 12 km and then remained essentially constant. (3) TP content in the Chendong River estuary decreased under steady flow inputs and dramatically increased when the flow became large. The increase in Chl-a content was linked to higher levels of TP and good weather conditions after the rain event. Higher flow rates mainly play a dilution role for the Chl-a concentration. Erosion of the surface soil via rainfall is a major source of TSM to the estuary. This paper firstly analyzes tempo-spatial dynamics of water quality and its response to river flow in estuary of Taihu Lake, helps to further understand the impact of river input on lake water quality, and is important for lake eutrophication.

Remote sensing of diffuse attenuation coefficient patterns from Landsat 8 OLI imagery of turbid inland waters: A case study of Dongting Lake.

The diffuse attenuation coefficient, Kd(λ), is an important optical property. Environmental change and anthropogenic activities, however, have made it challenging to accurately assess Kd(λ) patterns in the extremely turbid inland waters. We addressed this challenge by using new Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) imagery. For the bio-optical complexity of water, we proposed an empirical band-ratio algorithm for estimating Kd(490) using our in situ measurements. Based on the acceptable performance of an OLI image-based atmospheric correction and Kd(490) validation, the algorithm was then applied to OLI images to estimate Kd(490) patterns from April 2013 to April 2016, leading to several key findings: (1) Spatial-temporal patterns of Kd(490) varied significantly in Dongting Lake. The temporal heterogeneity of Kd(490) could be explained primarily by surface-runoff changes driven by regional precipitation. The spatial heterogeneity was due to sediment resuspension, resulting from sand dredging and shipping activities; (2) Kd(490) values that were inversed at the intersection of Dongting Lake and Yangtze River were observed for the first time near the Chengliji site and resulted from the opposing temporal cycle of Kd(490) variations between Dongting Lake and the Yangtze River; (3) There was a significant positive correlation between Kd(490) and total suspended matter (TSM). This confirms that TSM often plays a principal role in the attenuation of light in extremely turbid water bodies; (4) The empirical band-ratio algorithm worked well, not only for the broader Landsat archives, but also for the narrower Sentinel-2/3 for Kd(490) estimation, which demonstrates that the algorithm could be used to quantitatively monitor multi-decade records of Landsat observations and future applications of inland water quality in turbid inland waters, such as Dongting Lake and Poyang Lake.