P. Lavery et al., WATER-QUALITY MONITORING IN ESTUARINE WATERS USING THE LANDSAT THEMATIC MAPPER, Remote sensing of environment, 46(3), 1993, pp. 268-280
Due to the impacts of rural and urban development on southwestern Aust
ralian estuaries, and the general isolation of these water bodies, the
re is a need to develop water quality monitoring systems that are both
repetitive and cost-effective. The literature suggests that Landsat T
hematic Mapper (TM) has spectral and spatial characteristics that are
suited to monitoring small coastal water bodies. This study examined t
he potential for the satellite-based TM sensor to serve as a regular m
onitoring tool. Atmospherically corrected TM digital data acquired on
four dates over summer 1990/91 and concurrent field measurements colle
cted at the time of the satellite over-pass over the Peel-Harvey Estua
rine System (32 degrees 30'S lat. 115 degrees 40'E long.) were used to
obtain multitemporal, empirical algorithms for predicting pigment con
centration, Secchi disk depth (SDD), and salinity. Highly significant,
predictive algorithms were developed for these parameters. It is conc
luded that Landsat TM has the resolution and accuracy to be a potentia
lly very useful monitoring tool. However, cloud cover and delays in da
ta acquisition seriously diminish its usefulness for monitoring an any
thing less than a seasonal basis. Laboratory-based radiometric studies
also indicated that Landsat TM was unlikely to be useful in determini
ng the taxonomic composition of phytoplankton blooms in coastal waters
.