A physics based retrieval and quality assessment of bathymetry from suboptimal hyperspectral data

In order to retrieve bathymetry, substratum type and the concentrations of the optically active constituents of the water column, an integrated physics based mapping approach was applied to airborne hyperspectral data of Moreton Bay, Australia. The remotely sensed data were sub-optimal due to high and mid-level cloud covers. Critical to the correct interpretation of the resultant coastal bathymetry map was the development of a quality control procedure based on additional outputs of the integrated physics based mapping approach and the characteristics of the instrument. These two outputs were: an optical closure term which defines differences between the image and model based remote sensing signal; and an estimate of the relative contribution of the substratum signal to the remote sensing signal. This quality control procedure was able to identify those pixels with a reliable retrieval of depth and to detect thin and thick clouds and their shadows, which were subsequently masked out from further analysis. The derived coastal bathymetry in depths ranging 4–13 m for the mapped area was within ± 15% of boat-based multi-beam acoustic mapping survey of the same area. The agreement between the imaging spectrometry and the acoustic datasets varies as a function of the contribution of the bottom visibility to the remote sensing signal. As expected, there was greater agreement in shallower clear water (± 0.67 m) than quasi-optically deep water (± 1.35 m). The quantitative identification and screening of the optically deep waters and the quasi-optically deep waters led to improved precision in the depth retrieval. These results suggest that the physics based mapping approach adopted in this study performs well for retrieving water column depths in coastal waters in water depths ranging 4–13 m for the area and conditions studied, even with sub-optimal imagery.