Inversion and distribution of total suspended matter in water based on remote sensing images—A case study on Yuqiao Reservoir, China

In this paper, Yuqiao Reservoir is taken as the research object. The total suspended matter (TSM) produced by the economic development in the upper reaches of the reservoir and its surrounding areas has brought great ecological harm to the safe operation of the reservoir. Satellite remote sensing technology provides a good way to obtain the temporal and spatial variation of TSM in the study area. Two field surveys were carried out in the Yuqiao Reservoir, a total of 44 sampling points collected in the two tests. The spectral data and concentration of TSM were obtained. We developed and validated a robust empirical model to estimate the concentration of TSM in the water of the Yuqiao Reservoir for the first time. The TSM distribution map of the Yuqiao Reservoir in 2013–2018 is retrieved based on Landsat 8 OLI images. This paper analyzes the spatial distribution characteristics of TSM concentration in the Yuqiao Reservoir for several years, as well as the interannual, seasonal, and monthly variation laws and development trends. The results show that the spatial distribution of TSM in Yuqiao Reservoir shows a decreasing trend from the periphery to the center; the interannual changes are mainly as follows: The annual change trend of TSM in Yuqiao Reservoir is not obvious; the seasonal changes are significant: the highest in summer (higher than 40 mg/L), the second in autumn, and the lowest in spring and winter (lower than 15 mg/L); and the monthly changes show regular fluctuations: In a year cycle, the concentration of TSM generally shows an inverted V‐shaped trend; that is, TSM increases gradually from January to August and decreases gradually from August to December. The research results of this paper can be applied to other similar types of land water bodies, which will promote the wide application of Landsat 8 OLI images in the monitoring of TSM in lakes, rivers, and reservoirs in different regions across China, and provide data support for the scientific management of the safe operation of research areas. Practitioner points The monitoring model of TSM in Yuqiao Reservoir was built for the first time. Temporal and spatial analysis of TSM concentration in Yuqiao Reservoir for the first time. The concentration of TSM is in Yuqiao Reservoir greatly affected by wind speed and precipitation. This paper takes Yuqiao Reservoir as the research object. On the basis of field investigation and experiment, we first established a robust empirical model to estimate tot