Analysis on the relationship between suspended sediments and environment factors in the Korean coastal water

Abstract

Suspended particle matter (SPM) dynamics in coastal area plays a major role in erosion/deposition processes, biomass primary production and the transport of nutrients, micropollutants, heavy metals, etc. The SPM may be originated from various sources such as re-suspension of bottom deposit, river discharge, and so on. In case of Korea, the sedimentary environments of western coast region are affected by both inland river systems and the open sea via circulation of seawater caused by semi-diurnal tides. Spatial remote sensing can be an efficient tool for mapping terrigeneous substances in coastal waters, and hence provide monitoring agencies with water quality maps.In this study, we analyzed the relationship between suspended sediments concentration (SSC) and environment factors in coastal water using satellite images. The study area is Gyeonggi Bay, which is located on the mid-west coast of the Korean Peninsula. Gyeonggi Bay is a large tidal range (4&#8211 8 m) and strong tidal currents (1&#8211 2 m/s). As a result of daily variation, SSC of GOCI gradually increased after flood time. Also, SSC value in summer season shows lower value than winter season. For analysis of relationship between SSC and environment factors, we compared SSC with the wind speed and water depth. In shallow depth area, SSC had higher value than deep area SSC. In addition, wind speed influences the SSC variation in study area. In open sea, us sources such as re-suspension of bottom deposit, river discharge, and so on. In case of Korea, the sedimentary environments of western coast region are affected by both inland river systems and the open sea via circulation of seawater caused by semi-diurnal tides. Spatial remote sensing can be an efficient tool for mapping terrigeneous substances in coastal waters, and hence provide monitoring agencies with water quality maps.In this study, we analyzed the relationship between suspended sediments concentration (SSC) and environment factors in coastal water using satellite images. The study area is Gyeonggi Bay, which is located on the mid-west coast of the Korean Peninsula. Gyeonggi Bay is a large tidal range (4&#8211 8 m) and strong tidal currents (1&#8211 2 m/s). As a result of daily variation, SSC of GOCI gradually increased after flood time. Also, SSC value in summer season shows lower value than winter season. For analysis of relationship between SSC and environment factors, we compared SSC with the wind speed and water depth. In shallow depth area, SSC had higher value than deep area SSC. In addition, wind speed influences the SSC variation in study area. In open sea,