Retrieval of Chemical Oxygen Demand through Modified Capsule Network Based on Hyperspectral Data

An advanced remote sensing retrieval method for urban non-optically active water quality parameters: An example from Shanghai

The optical insensitivity of non-optically active water quality parameters (NAWQPs) presents a significant challenge for remote sensing-based quantitative monitoring, which is an important tool for water quality assessment and management. Based on the analysis of the samples from Shanghai, China, it was found that the spectral morphological characteristics of the water body were obviously different under the combined effect of multiple NAWQPs. In view of this, in this paper, a machine learning method was proposed for the retrieval of urban NAWQPs by using multi-spectral scale morphological combined feature (MSMCF). The proposed method integrates both local and global spectral morphological features, and employs a multi-scale approach to enhance its applicability and stability, providing a more accurate and robust solution. To explore the applicability of the MSMCF method in retrieving urban NAWQPs, different methods were tested in terms of the retrieval accuracy and stability on the measured data and three different hyperspectral data. As can be seen from the results, the proposed method has good retrieval performance, which can be applied to hyperspectral data with different spectral resolutions with certain ability to suppress noise. Further analysis indicates that the sensitivity of each NAWQP to spectral morphological features varies. The research methods and findings in this paper can promote the development of hyperspectral and remote sensing technology in the prevention and treatment of urban water quality deterioration, and provide reference for related research.

A New Method for Spatial Estimation of Water Quality Using an Optimal Virtual Sensor Network and In Situ Observations: A Case Study of Chemical Oxygen Demand

Accurate water quality estimation is important for water environment monitoring and water resource management and has emerged as a pivotal aspect of ecological rehabilitation and sustainable development. However, due to the strong spatial heterogeneity of water quality parameters, it is still challenging to obtain highly accurate spatial patterns of them. Taking chemical oxygen demand as an example, this study proposes a novel estimation method for generating highly accurate chemical oxygen demand fields in Poyang Lake. Specifically, based on the different water levels and monitoring sites in Poyang Lake, an optimal virtual sensor network was first established. A Taylor expansion-based method with integration of spatial correlation and spatial heterogeneity was developed by considering environmental factors, the optimal virtual sensor network, and existing monitoring stations. The proposed approach was evaluated and compared with other approaches using a leave-one cross-validation process. Results show that the proposed method exhibits good performance in estimating chemical oxygen demand fields in Poyang Lake, with mean absolute error improved by 8% and 33%, respectively, on average, when compared with classical interpolators and remote sensing methods. In addition, the applications of virtual sensors improve the performance of the proposed method, with mean absolute error and root mean squared error values reduced by 20% to 60% over 12 months. The proposed method provides an effective tool for estimating highly accurate spatial fields of chemical oxygen demand concentrations and could be applied to other water quality parameters.

Prediction of Total Phosphorus Concentration in Macrophytic Lakes Using Chlorophyll-Sensitive Bands: A Case Study of Lake Baiyangdian

Total phosphorus (TP) is a significant indicator of water eutrophication. As a typical macrophytic lake, Lake Baiyangdian is of considerable importance to the North China Plain’s ecosystem. However, the lake’s eutrophication is severe, threatening the local ecological environment. The correlation between chlorophyll and TP provides a mechanism for TP prediction. In view of the absorption and reflection characteristics of the chlorophyll concentrations in inland water, we propose a method to predict TP concentration in a macrophytic lake with spectral characteristics dominated by chlorophyll. In this study, water spectra noise is removed by discrete wavelet transform (DWT), and chlorophyll-sensitive bands are selected by gray correlation analysis (GRA). To verify the effectiveness of the chlorophyll-sensitive bands for TP concentration prediction, three different machine learning (ML) algorithms were used to build prediction models, including partial least squares (PLS), random forest (RF) and adaptive boosting (AdaBoost). The results indicate that the PLS model performs well in terms of TP concentration prediction, with the least time consumption: the coefficient of determination (R2) and root mean square error (RMSE) are 0.821 and 0.028 mg/L in the training dataset, and 0.741 and 0.029 mg/L in the testing dataset, respectively. Compared with the empirical model, the method proposed herein considers the correlation between chlorophyll and TP concentration, as well as a higher accuracy. The results indicate that chlorophyll-sensitive bands are effective for predicting TP concentration.

Retrieving Inland Reservoir Water Quality Parameters Using Landsat 8-9 OLI and Sentinel-2 MSI Sensors with Empirical Multivariate Regression

Improving water quality is one of the top priorities in the global agenda endorsed by the United Nations. To ensure the achievement of this goal, governments have developed plans to continuously monitor the status of inland waters. Remote sensing provides a low-cost, high-frequency, and practical complement to monitoring systems that can cover a large area. However, it is crucial to evaluate the suitability of sensors for retrieving water quality parameters (WQPs), owing to differences in spatial and spectral sampling from different satellites. Taking Shanmei Reservoir in Fuzhou City, Fujian Province as a case study, this study collected and sorted the water quality data measured at the site in 2020 to 2022 and Landsat 8-9 OLI and Sentinel-2 MSI images, simulated the chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) concentration, algae density, and turbidity using empirical multivariate regression, and explored the relationship between different WQPs using correlation analysis and principal component analysis (PCA). The results showed that the fitting effect of Landsat OLI data was better than that of the Sentinel-2 MSI data. The coefficient of determination (R2) values of Chl-a, algal density, and turbidity simulated by Landsat OLI data were 0.70, 0.81, and 0.80, respectively. Furthermore, the parameters of its validation equation were also smaller than those of Sentinel MSI data. The spatial distribution of three key WQPs retrieved from Landsat OLI data shows their values were generally low, with the mean values of the Chl-a concentration, algal density, and turbidity being 4.25 μg/L, 4.11 × 106 cells/L, and 1.86 NTU, respectively. However, from the end of February 2022, the values of the Chl-a concentration and algae density in the reservoir gradually increase, and the risk of water eutrophication also increases. Therefore, it is still necessary to pay continuous attention and formulate corresponding water quality management measures. The correlation analysis shows that the three key WQPs in this study have a high correlation with pH, water temperature (WT), and dissolved oxygen (DO). The results of PCA showed that pH, DO, Chl-a concentration, WT, TN, and CODMn were dominant in PC1, explaining 35.57% of the total variation, and conductivity, algal density, and WT were dominant in PC2, explaining 13.34% of the total variation. Therefore, the water quality of the Shanmei Reservoir can be better evaluated by measuring pH, conductivity, and WT at the monitoring station, or by establishing the regression fitting equations between DO, CODMn, and TN. The regression algorithm used in this study can identify the most important water quality features in the Shanmei Reservoir, which can be used to monitor the nutritional status of the reservoir and provide a reference for other similar inland water bodies.

Monitoring water quality using proximal remote sensing technology

Accurate, high spatial and temporal resolution water quality monitoring in inland waters is vital for environmental management. However, water quality monitoring in inland waters by satellite remote sensing remains challenging due to low signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) and instrumental resolution limitations. We propose the concept of proximal remote sensing for monitoring water quality. The proximal hyperspectral imager, developed by Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and Hikvision Digital Technology, Ltd., is a high spatial, temporal and spectral resolution (1 nm) sensor for continuous observation, allowing for effective and practical long-term monitoring of inland water quality. In this study, machine learning and empirical algorithms were developed and validated using in situ total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), chemical oxygen demand (COD) concentrations and spectral reflectance from Lake Taihu (N = 171), the Liangxi River (N = 94) and the Fuchunjiang Reservoir (N = 109) covering different water quality. Our dataset includes a large range for three key water quality parameters of TN from 0.93 to 6.46 mg/L, TP from 0.04 to 0.62 mg/L, and COD from 1.32 to 15.41 mg/L. Overall, the back-propagation (BP) neural network model had an accuracy of over 80% for TN (R² = 0.84, RMSE = 0.33 mg/L, and MRE = 11.4%) and over 90% for TP (R² = 0.93, RMSE = 0.02 mg/L, and MRE = 12.4%) and COD (R² = 0.91, RMSE = 0.66 mg/L, and MRE = 9.3%). Our results show that proximal remote sensing combined with machine learning algorithms has great potential for monitoring water quality in inland waters.