THE EFFECT OF SUSPENDED SEDIMENT DEPTH DISTRIBUTION ON COASTAL WATER SPECTRAL REFLECTANCE - THEORETICAL SIMULATION

The spectral distribution of water surface reflectance, in the visible region (0.4-0.7 mum), has been numerically estimated, for various concentration profiles of suspended matter in water, including contributions from yellow substances, chlorophyll and mineral sediment. Mie theory for light scattering, has been used to estimate extinction, scattering and absorption coefficients for a system of suspended spherical particles characterized by Junge size-distribution and containing absorbing and non-absorbing components Significant changes in the shape of the simulated spectral reflectance have been obtained when the suspended sediment distribution in the water column, extending from the surface to the light penetration depth, varies. The preliminary theoretical results presented seem to sustain the possibility of retriving sediment depth profile from remote sensed spectral data.