Remote sensing as a tool for assessing water quality in Loosdrecht lakes

The underwater light field in 7 lakes in the Loosdrecht lake area was measured in situ. Subsurface upwelling irradiance and irradiance reflectance, together with estimations of scattering and laboratory measurements of absorption by aquatic humus and particulate matter, enabled an analysis of the spectral signature of these waters. Aircraft imaging spectrometer measurements of upwelling radiance at 1 km altitude were used to simulate the PMI Chlorophyll #1, the CAESAR Inland Water Mode spectral bandsets and the Thematic Mapper bands 1 to 4. This made it possible to compare the effects of spectral band width and selection on the estimation of water quality parameters. Correlations increased to r > 0.94, at a significance level of 1% for the simulated C-IWM data with the 6 water quality parameters. Images of the PMI Chlorophyll #1 and of the TM were analysed and found to be in accordance with the statistical modelling results.A significant increase in correlation of remote sensing data with water quality parameters can be achieved through the selective use of 10 to 20 nm wide bands in the spectral range of 500 to 720 nm in these eutrophic waters. Sum of chlorophyll a and phaeopigments, seston dry weight, Secchi disc transparency, and coefficients for vertical attenuation of light, absorption and scattering can be estimated accurately. TM image data for water quality assessment is of limited use due to the relatively low spectral and radiometric resolution. However, the revisit capability and relatively low price per area are positive aspects of these satellite images.Abbreviations CAESAR = CCD Airborne Experimental Scanner for Applications in Remote sensing - C-IWM = CAESAR Inland Water Mode - CCD = charge coupled device - EOS-A = Earth Observation System Platform A - PAR = photosynthetically active radiation from 400–700 nm. - PMI = Programmable Multispectral Imager - RSLL = Remote Sensing Loosdrecht Lakes Project - SPOT = Systeme Pour l'Observation de la Terre - SPOT-HRV = Sensor on board of the SPOT satellite - TM = Thematic Mapper instrument aboard the Landsat 5 satellite