A MERIS-based model for estimating the concentration of suspended particulates in the ST. Lawrence Estuary

The MERIS-derived remote sensing reflectance (R
_rs
) ratios R
_rs
(708)/R
_rs
(665) and R
_rs
(753)/[R
_rs
(665)-R
_rs
(708)] have been successfully used to estimate chlorophyll concentration in diverse turbid coastal waters of US. Here, the response of these two optical proxies with respect to changes on concentration of suspended particulate matter (C
_SPM
) is evaluated in the St. Lawrence Estuary for the first time. Preliminary results showed that R
_rs
(708)/R
_rs
(665) had a better performance (RMSE = 3.06) than R
_rs
(753)/[R
_rs
(665)-R
_rs
(708)] (RMSE = 7.76) for estimating C
_SPM
distributions during spring conditions.