The aim of this study was to evaluate the viability of using Landsat 8 spectral images to estimate water quality parameters and depth in El Guájaro Reservoir. On February and March 2015, two samplings were carried out in the reservoir, coinciding with the Landsat 8 images. Turbidity, dissolved oxygen, electrical conductivity, pH and depth were evaluated. Through multiple regression analysis between measured water quality parameters and the reflectance of the pixels corresponding to the sampling stations, statistical models with determination coefficients between 0.6249 and 0.9300 were generated. Results indicate that from a small number of measured parameters we can generate reliable models to estimate the spatial variation of turbidity, dissolved oxygen, pH and depth, as well the temporal variation of electrical conductivity, so models generated from Landsat 8 can be used as a tool to facilitate the environmental, economic and social management of the reservoir.

In this study, empirical models were generated to estimate water quality parameters, with the objective of showing the benefits of the satellite remote sensing application in the characterization of coastal waters. The study area was Playa Colorada Bay, located in the northwest of Mexico, in the eastern part of the Gulf of California. In two seasons of the year, on-site and laboratory characterizations were carried out to determine the spatial and temporal variation of phosphates (PO4), electrical conductivity (EC), total suspended solids (TSS), turbidity, and pH of water. Samplings were selected to match Landsat 8 satellite overpass in the study area. Radiometric and atmospheric corrections were applied to the images, prior to the generation of the models. The models were generated using the linear regression technique of successive steps; water quality parameters and their logarithms were used as dependent variables, and as independent variables were used corrected reflectance values of Landsat images. The results showed that the concentration of PO4 in the analyzed water samples were higher than those recommended in the Mexican ecological criteria of water quality, to protect the aquatic life of marine water in coastal areas. In autumn, PO4 was correlated with turbidity, T, pH, and TSS. The highest correlation coefficients were presented by TSS with PO4 (r = − 0.979) and pH (r = 0.958). The water quality models that were generated had coefficients of determination (R 2) in the range of 0.637 to 0.955 and show the viability of the application of Landsat 8 images in the characterization of water quality parameters in Playa Colorada Bay. Models allowed the estimation of the distribution of water quality parameters over the whole bay instead of only at the sampling stations, favoring a better understanding of their spatial distribution.

Fragile coastal areas suffer from human activities. Environmental quality is one of the most important aspects in a tourist destination of sun and sand. The quality of bathing water and sand became indicators in the worldwide competition of beach destinations. We studied the water and sand quality along the beach of Puerto Velero, in northern Colombia. Water and sand beach quality were monitored during thirteen months. This allowed identifying the most significant sources of pollution along the beach, and understanding the interrelationship between tourism and the effects on the environment. Linear correlations allow assessing the association between the number of visitors and the physicochemical and microbiological parameters. The number of visitors was directly correlated with the presence of grease and oils, both in water and sand, as well as with fecal coliforms in water. A relation between the suspended solids and the presence of fecal coliforms in water and sand was observed. This statistical approach allows understanding the origin of beach sand and swimming water pollution at tourist beaches.

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