Estimation of water turbidity and analysis of its spatio-temporal variability in the Danube River plume (Black Sea) using MODIS satellite data

Ocean colour remote sensing information brings important insights for monitoring coastal areas. These regions are home to important natural ecosystems and changes that occur here can have important impacts not only on the local environment, but also on connected wetlands or offshore areas. The present study proposes a new regional methodology for water turbidity retrieval using the MODIS red band at 250 m spatial resolution in the Danube Delta coastal area. For this purpose, multiple in-situ turbidity observations were used in order to determine a valid relationship between data collected with turbidity meters and remote sensing reflectance obtained from satellite data. A special attention is given to the atmospheric correction of satellite data, since complex optical waters require adapted methodologies for accurate remote sensing reflectance computation. Based on products derived using the proposed algorithm, the dynamics of turbidity is evaluated for multiple time periods: from local Terra to Aqua overpasses (couple of hours), daily and monthly. Results show a clear strong connection between the Danube discharge and water turbidity in the coastal area. However other environmental parameters (e.g., wind stress) also play an important role and contribute to the magnitude of the river plume extension.