Modelling of transparency of Lake Baikal inferred from the Sentinel-2 Data

Abstract

The remote sensing methods usage makes it possible to increase the accuracy and efficiency of data on the state of water bodies. Among the many satellite systems, Sentinel-2 is the most suitable for inland water assessment. One of the abiotic factors in assessing the trophicity of water bodies is the transparency along the Secchi disk. Models for calculating water transparency have been developed for individual water bodies. The analysis showed that these models don’t adequately describe the transparency for Lake Baikal. Based on the correlation-regression analysis, the parameters of the exponential function were estimated for calculating the transparency of the surface waters of Lake Baikal using the values of the Sentinel-2 spectral channels. Despite the inaccuracy of the model for assessing the transparency in the coastal zone, it can be used to assess the seasonal and interannual transparency of the surface waters of Lake Baikal.