A preliminary investigation into the spectral characteristics of inter-tidal estuarine sediments

Citation

Bryant RG, Tyler A, Gilvear D, McDonald P, Teasdale I, Brown J & Ferrier G (1996) A preliminary investigation into the spectral characteristics of inter-tidal estuarine sediments. International Journal of Remote Sensing, 17 (2), pp. 405-412. http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01431169608949016; https://doi.org/10.1080/01431169608949016

Abstract
In the Ribble Estuary, Lancashire, U.K., systematic associations between discharge of radionuclides from the British Nuclear Fuels plc (BNFL) plants at Sellafield and Springfields and sediment size-fractions exist. The ability to map these associations through in situ spectroscopy (0·4-2·5 μm) of sediments at low tide was investigated. Laboratory spectra of inter-tidal sediment samples collected from the Ribble show a strong negative correlation (-0·7 to -0·8) between their radionuclide-associated clay content and reflectance within the 0·4-2·5 μm range. Field spectra of the same samples showed a less distinct relationship as a result of the presence of surface moisture, cyanobacteria, and halite within the intertidal zone. Methods are proposed to account for these problems.

Journal
International Journal of Remote Sensing: Volume 17, Issue 2