Estimating Suspended Sediment Concentration Using Remote Sensing for the Teles Pires River, Brazil

Abstract

Improving environmental sustainability involves measuring indices that show responses to different production processes and management types. Suspended sediment concentration (SSC) in water bodies is a parameter of great importance, as it is related to watercourse morphology, land use and occupation in river basins, and sediment transport and accumulation. Although already established, the methods used for acquiring such data in the field are costly. This hinders extrapolations along water bodies and reservoirs. Remote sensing is a feasible alternative to remedy these obstacles, as changes in suspended sediment concentrations are detectable by satellite images. Therefore, satellite image reflectance can be used to estimate SSC spatially and temporally. We used Sentinel-2 A and B imagery to estimate SSC for the Teles Pires River in Brazil’s Amazon. Sensor images used were matched to the same days as field sampling. Google Earth Engine (GEE), a tool that allows agility and flexibility, was used for data processing. Access to several data sources and processing robustness show that GEE can accurately estimate water quality parameters via remote sensing. The best SSC estimator was the reflectance of the B4 band corresponding to the red range of the visible spectrum, with the exponential model showing the best fit and accuracy.

Flow Measurement Methods in Small Tributaries of the Teles Pires River, Southern of the Amazon Hydrological Region

“…There are several methods for quantitative and qualitative water monitoring. Some of these methods are intrusive, as they depend on the direct contact of the equipment with water [6,15,16], and other methods are considered non-intrusive, such as remote sensing techniques [17,18], terrestrial images [19], and Internet of Things (IoT) technology [20][21][22][23], which do not require physical contact with the object of study (water). These non-intrusive methods have been gaining ground towards the Industrial Revolution 4.0 due to the diverse possibilities of applications in quantitative and qualitative water monitoring, soil management, and monitoring, which contribute to the adequate management and treatment of natural resources [20][21][22][23][24][25].…”

Sustainable Development Agricultural Economics and Policy: Intensification versus Diversification

“…Environmental impacts of agricultural development include land use change in Brazil's Midwest where native habitat has been converted to commodity crops (e.g., soybeans, maize, cotton) at a rapid rate over the past 25 years [10]. Agricultural row crop expansion and urban development in this region of Brazil has also increased suspended sediment in rivers [11].…”