A diachronic analysis of estuarine turbidity due to a flood following an extreme rainfall event

Antonino Maltese; Fulvio Capodici; Giuseppe Ciraolo; Antonino Granata; Goffredo La Loggia

doi:10.1117/12.899050

7 October 2011 A diachronic analysis of estuarine turbidity due to a flood following an extreme rainfall event

Antonino Maltese, Fulvio Capodici, Giuseppe Ciraolo, Antonino Granata, Goffredo La Loggia

Proceedings Volume 8174, Remote Sensing for Agriculture, Ecosystems, and Hydrology XIII; 81741C (2011) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.899050
Event: SPIE Remote Sensing, 2011, Prague, Czech Republic

Abstract

During floods following rainfall events characterized by long return period, rivers bring to their mouths the higher concentration of sediments. This paper deals with a qualitative assessment of coastal water and turbidity load in estuarine waters as a consequence of an intense rainfall event occurred on the 16t^h and 17^th September 2003 in the eastern part of Sicily. Although empirical relationships to estimate turbidity using remote sensing can be found in literature, however models parameters need to be calibrated through in situ measures acquired via intensive field campaigns. The algorithm used within this research was calibrated using field data acquired during three periods in 2008 (at the beginning of July, August and September). Plumes caused by two rivers, the Simeto and Anapo, were spatially and temporally analyzed. The rivers belong to two catchments characterized by different pedology and land cover. It was proved that the turbidity plume at the estuary has a strict correlation with distance from river mouth, however it strongly depends on catchment characteristics. A multitemporal analysis of MODIS images with 250 m spatial resolution showed that nephelometric turbidity (NT) rises as the flow discharge reaches the gulf, then it sharply decreases tending to an asymptotic base value approximately after a decade. Finally, the coarse spatial resolution of MODIS images was judged not appropriate to characterize plume dynamic close to the mouths of the rivers under investigation.

Citation Download Citation

Antonino Maltese, Fulvio Capodici, Giuseppe Ciraolo, Antonino Granata, and Goffredo La Loggia "A diachronic analysis of estuarine turbidity due to a flood following an extreme rainfall event", Proc. SPIE 8174, Remote Sensing for Agriculture, Ecosystems, and Hydrology XIII, 81741C (7 October 2011); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.899050

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available