Analysis of mineral-rich suspended matter in glacial lakes using simulations and satellite data

Abstract

The contribution of mineral-rich suspended matter (MSM) to the optics of water bodies is still less treated by bio-optical modeling than that of other water constituents. However, with the increasing number of remote sensing studies on inland waters, optical properties of terrestrial particles gain importance for accurately estimating particle concentrations. We compared two current simulation tools, Hydrolight and WASI, for high MSM concentrations within the realistic context of catchments with glacial erosion. The study area is an extreme form of suspended sediment-dominated Case2 water. We simulated Rrs(0-) spectra with MSM concentrations varying from 5 to 200 g m-3. In a second step, WASI-2D was applied to invert Landsat8. In-situ measured concentrations and reflectance spectra served to assess model performance. Thus, we tested the suitability of the analytical model WASI for high MSM concentrations and point out necessities for future adaptations to (extremely) turbid environments.