The aim of this study was to compare satellite Landsat-5 Thematic Mapper (TM) data with Airborne Thematic Mapper (ATM) data, for the detection of the trophic status of water masses. Study area is the Lake Iseo, one of the most important freshwater basin in northern Italy, located in the sub-alpine ecoregion. In accordance with the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) the Iseo waters are defined as meso-eutrophic. Airborne Daedalus ATM AADS-1268 data were acquired on 14th July 1992 and Landsat-5 TM data on 1st September 1992. Multi-temporal comparison required adjustment of scene radiance due to atmospheric variations. To achieve this an integrally image-based method was employed. Airborne and satellite data were used to estimate turbidity, chlorophyll and suspended sediment load, by means of chromaticity analysis. Processing of thermal images for lake surface temperature determination was also addressed. The results confirmed previous knowledge on the trophic state of Lake Iseo, in agreement with traditional investigations. Remotely data were able to separate chromaticity of the waters, discriminating different turbidity patterns distribution and emphasizing the behavior of shallower waters infected by macrophytes.

Date Published: 30 December 1997
PDF: 7 pages
Proc. SPIE 3222, Earth Surface Remote Sensing, (30 December 1997); doi: 10.1117/12.298149

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 3222:
Earth Surface Remote Sensing
Giovanna Cecchi; Edwin T. Engman; Eugenio Zilioli, Editor(s)