Monitoring Turbid Plume Behavior from Landsat Imagery

Abstract

A simple model based on available Landsat imagery data was used in order to characterize the dynamics of a rainstorm-induced turbid plume into a semi-arid, medium-sized reservoir. Additionally, a set of empirical expressions based on mouth river conditions was employed to estimate the spatial extent of the turbid plume, as well as the influence of the wind on the spreading and resuspension of sediment. This predicted plume behavior was then confirmed by the imagery data. Overall, the main contribution of the paper is a unified procedure of different approaches that can be applied to forecast turbidity effects during muddy inflow events in aquatic systems where minor field-measured information is available. The approach may be also considered as an assisting tool to provide managers with the capacity to develop real-time strategies to monitor flood events.