POSTER SESSION 4
10:30–12:30, Thursday, September 17
Poster Session | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Schedule at a Glance
ABSTRACT 1160 | POSTER 36
SATELLITE-DERIVED BATHYMETRY FOR RECURSIVE MONITORING OF INTERTIDAL AREAS
Coastal and intertidal environments are highly dynamic systems whose morphology is controlled by complex interactions among tides, waves, sediment transport, and water quality conditions. Accurate characterization of these shallow environments is essential for navigation safety, coastal management, and understanding geomorphological change, yet conventional bathymetric surveys remain costly and spatially limited. This study presents a multi-temporal Satellite-Derived Bathymetry (SDB) framework using Sentinel-2 imagery to improve bathymetric retrievals in optically complex and turbid coastal waters. The approach integrates satellite-derived water quality indicators with short-term multi-scene compositing to reduce noise and mitigate turbidity effects while masking optically unreliable pixels. Applications were conducted in tidal inlets of the Ria Formosa barrier-island system (Portugal) and in a mesotidal bayhead delta characterized by extensive intertidal flats (Spain). Composite SDB products achieved 10 m spatial resolution and resolved depths of up to ~15 m, with validation against in-situ bathymetry showing median absolute errors generally between 0.5 and 1 m and low bias, outperforming single-scene retrievals under variable optical conditions. To support interpretation of multi-temporal SDB in low-relief intertidal systems, we introduce the Intertidal Bathymetric Stability Index (IBSI), a dimensionless metric relating temporal SDB variability to validated uncertainty. IBSI identifies areas where bathymetric estimates remain stable and distinguishable from retrieval noise, while highlighting zones where variability exceeds detection limits. Results demonstrate the potential of the combined SDB-IBSI framework for scalable coastal monitoring, geomorphological analysis, and climate-change impact assessment in shallow and turbid environments.
Isabel Caballero, Institute of Marine Sciences of Andalusia (ICMAN) / Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), [email protected], https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7485-0989
Rita González-Villanueva, Instituto de Investigacións Mariñas (IIM-CSIC), [email protected]
Irene Alejo, Universidad de Vigo, Facultad de Ciencias del Mar, [email protected]
Nicolás Villacieros, Instituto de Investigacións Mariñas (IIM-CSIC), [email protected]
Miguel Ángel Nombela, Universidad de Vigo, Facultad de Ciencias del Mar, [email protected]
Susana Costas, Center for Marine and Environmental Research (CIMA), [email protected]
Richard P. Stumpf, NOAA, [email protected]
Poster Session | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Schedule at a Glance
