Tracking flood debris using satellite-derived ocean color and particle-tracking modeling

Flood debris associated with Typhoon Lionrock from the Tumen River at the border between Russia and North Korea was traced using ocean color and a Lagrangian particle-tracking model. As debris is transported along with discharged water during floods, a means of tracing floodwater should also allow any associated debris to be tracked. By analyzing the anomalous distribution of colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) and total suspended sediments (TSS) from the Geostationary Ocean Color Imager (GOCI), the southward movement of the floodwater was tracked along the eastern coast of the Korean Peninsula. This movement was driven by the North Korean Cold Current and was consistent with model results. The similarity between the satellite-derived and modeled datasets shows that CDOM and TSS can be used to track flood-derived debris for several hundreds of kilometers and locate hotspots of debris accumulation. •Flood debris was traced using ocean color and a particle-tracking model.•CDOM, TSS, and particle-tracking model results were consistent.•The North Korea Cold Current is the main vector transporting debris southward.•CDOM and TSS can trace flood and debris flows over distances up to 800 km.•Flood debris accumulates in bays due to onshore currents and winds.