Retrieval and Analysis on the Sediment Concentration of the South Branch of the Yangtze Estuary Based on TM

Suspended sediment concentration is important index of water quality, and assessment coefficient of water environment. Remote sensing technology can overcome the shortcomings of conventional methods, such as low speed, long period, and scarce temporal and spatial data distribution. Thus it is meaningful to introduce remote sensing technology to monitoring suspended sediment. In this paper, two TM/ETM+ images of the Yangtze estuary were utilized, and based on review of available domestic and overseas remote sensing data of suspended sediment, also combined with analysis on the 21 samples of synchronizing collection on April 28, 2009 and 3 samples of synchronizing collection on March 26, 2000 at the same time of satellite passing through respectively, the inversion model of satellite quantitative data was setup correlated to suspended sediment concentration. Then the classification diagram of sediment concentration in the surface water at the South Branch of the Yangtze Estuary was drawn. This study gets the following conclusions:(1) TM4 band reflection coefficient is more related to surface sediment concentration, the correlation coefficient is 0.884. (2)Through the regression analysis, the quantitative remote sensing model is established. By the mode, using satellite picture, sediment concentration distribution map in study area is obtained. (3)The diffusion law of suspended sediment, the range of high turbid water region and the estuarine sediment transportation were further discussed from monitoring data, and its characteristic phenomenon were observed and the cause was also explained.