Monitoring of suspended sediment variation using Landsat and MODIS in the Saemangeum coastal area of Korea

► Huge tidal dyke has strongly influenced the coastal environment in the Saemangeum area. ► It is important to monitor suspended sediment influenced by anthropogenic forcing. ► We analyzed the Landsat and MODIS data for the change monitoring of suspended sediment. ► Landsat and MODIS can reveal that coastal water turbidity was greatly reduced after completion of the construction. Suspended sediment concentration (SS) is an important indicator of marine environmental changes due to natural causes such as tides, tidal currents, and river discharges, as well as human activities such as construction in coastal regions. In the Saemangeum area on the west coast of Korea, construction of a huge tidal dyke for land reclamation has strongly influenced the coastal environment. This study used remotely sensed data to analyze the SS changes in coastal waters caused by the dyke construction. Landsat and MODIS satellite images were used for the spatial analysis of finer patterns and for the detailed temporal analysis, respectively. Forty Landsat scenes and 105 monthly composite MODIS images observed during 1985–2010 were employed, and four field campaigns (from 2005 to 2006) were performed to verify the image-derived SS. The results of the satellite data analyses showed that the seawater was clear before the dyke construction, with SS values lower than 20g/m3. These values increased continuously as the dyke construction progressed. The maximum SS values appeared just before completion of the fourth dyke. Values decreased to below 5g/m3 after dyke construction. These changes indicated tidal current modification. Some eddies and plumes were observed in the images generated from Landsat data. Landsat and MODIS can reveal that coastal water turbidity was greatly reduced after completion of the construction.