Global Estimation of Suspended Particulate Matter From Satellite Ocean Color Imagery

• Published in: Journal of geophysical research. Oceans 2021-08, Vol.126 (8), p.e2021JC017303-n/a
• Main Authors: Wei, Jianwei, Wang, Menghua, Jiang, Lide, Yu, Xiaolong, Mikelsons, Karlis, Shen, Fang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Algae; Algorithms; Aquatic organisms; Biogeosciences; Bio‐optics; Carbon dioxide; Clarity; Climate; Coastal erosion; Coastal sediments; Coastal waters; Color imagery; Corals; Electromagnetics; Fish; Geophysics; Hydrology; Image processing; Imagery; Imaging radiometers; Infrared imaging; Infrared radiometers; Inland waters; Mineral particles; Mussels; Near infrared radiation; Ocean color; Ocean colour; Ocean Optics; Oceanography: General; Oceanography: Physical; Oceans; Optics; Organic matter; Particulate emissions; Particulate matter; Pollutants; Pollution dispersion; Radiometers; Radiometry; Reflectance; Remote Sensing; Satellite imagery; Satellites; Seasonal variation; Seasonal variations; Sediment Transport; Spatial distribution; Surface boundary layer; Surface layers; Surface water; Suspended matter; Suspended particulate matter; Upper ocean; Uptake; Water Quality; Water quality measurements
• ISSN: 2169-9275; 2169-9291
• DOI: 10.1029/2021JC017303

The suspended particulate matter (SPM) concentration (unit: mg l−1) in surface waters is an essential measure of water quality and clarity. Satellite remote sensing provides a powerful tool to derive the SPM with synoptic and repeat coverage. In this study, we developed a new global SPM algorithm utilizing the remote sensing reflectance (Rrs(λ)) at near‐infrared (NIR), red, green, and blue bands (NIR‐RGB) as input. The evaluations showed that the NIR‐RGB algorithm could predict SPM with the median absolute percentage difference of ∼35%–39% over a wide range from ∼0.01 to >2,000 mg l−1. The uncertainty is smaller (29%–37%) for turbid waters where Rrs(671) ≥ 0.0012 sr−1 and slightly higher (41%–44%) for clear waters where Rrs(671)