Suspended sediment transport and deposition in Alaskan coastal waters with special emphasis on remote sensing by the ERTS-1 satellite

Abstract

The large concentrations of suspended sediments in Alaskan estuarine and coastal waters form patterns which are clearly visible in imagery acquired by the Earth Resources Technology Satellite (ERTS). Density-slicing of the ERTS imagery is used to compile maps of relative suspended sediment concentrations. A comparison of these maps with conventional oceanographic data exhibits good correspondence and indicates that the synoptic, instantaneous and repetitive view provided by the satellite can be used to great advantage in interpreting the field data and extrapolating these data to areas where little conventional information is available. On the basis of this favorable comparison, ERTS imagery is used to delineate the major pathways of sediment transport in most of the Alaskan coastal zone, from Yakutat to Barrow. The resulting models are discussed in relation to the hydrological and meteorological regimes, sea circulation and bottom sediment distributions.