Suspended sediment monitoring and assessment for Yellow River estuary from Landsat TM and ETMÂ + imagery

Interannual and seasonal variations, as well as spatial distribution, of SSC in Yellow River estuary are studied and assessed using TM/ETM + measurements from 2000 to 2010. Results show that the SSC is generally increasing from 2000 to the maximum in 2003 and then decreasing and is highly correlated with the annual total sediment discharge from Yellow River. The correlation is not so high for the SSC in Bohai and Laizhou bays. In addition, the SSC in the estuary is generally increasing from June to the maximum in Nov. and then decreasing to the minimum in April. The seasonal variation pattern results from Yellow River sediment discharge, which is higher in June-Nov., corresponding to the flood season than in other months. The SSC in Laizhou and Bohai bays generally follow the same seasonal variation pattern that is higher in Nov.-Apr. than in other months. The higher SSC mainly results from the wind-driven resuspension of bottom sediment.