Remote‐Sensing Method for Monitoring Suspended‐Sediment Concentration on the Middle‐Mississippi and Lower‐Missouri Rivers

Sediment transport, erosion, and deposition are primary drivers of river geomorphic processes ecological services. Suspended-sediment concentration (SSC) is an important parameter for evaluating these accordingly significant interest to engineers, scientists, water resource managers. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) previously operated nine daily SSC gauging stations along the Mississippi River, with operating dates ranging from 1974 2018. Currently, there no USGS reporting values River. For this study, regression models were developed compute Middle-Mississippi River (MMR) Lower-Missouri (LMOR) using publicly freely available Landsat imagery. Surface reflectance data satellites used USGS-measured develop three different sensors (Landsat 8 OLI/TIRS, 7 ETM+, 4-5 TM). Previous published predicting in MMR LMOR images have a linear-regression form provided invalid negative when extrapolated outside dataset development. objectives study reflectance-SSC power-function demonstrate their extrapolation performance multiple novel applications basin. applied following conditions: 1) mixing at Missouri confluence, 2) point-source pollution, 3) changes entire reach range discharges. also sediment rating curves four largest tributaries MMR.