Satellite-Derived Bathymetry models from Landsat-8 e Sentinel-2A applied to Caiçara do Norte Shelf, Northeast, Brazil
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5380/qeg.v17i1.102143Keywords:
subaqueous dunes, isolated shallow marine body, digital imagine processing, marine mapping, continental shelfAbstract
The continental shelf in northern Rio Grande do Norte is subdivided into inner, middle, and outer shelf sectors and is extremely shallow, with depths reaching up to 70–75 m over most of its extent. Despite the presence of several submarine features, detailed bathymetric studies in this region are scarce, which limits the understanding of its morphology and hampers the acquisition of high-resolution bathymetric surveys. This study proposes the application of satellite-derived bathymetry (SDB) using empirical models applied to multispectral optical imagery as a support tool for mapping shallow-water environments. The objective of this study is to apply SDB to investigate depth and seafloor morphology and to morphologically characterize the Coroa das Lavadeiras, a shallow, isolated sandy body located north of the continental shelf of Rio Grande do Norte, near the municipality of Caiçara do Norte. The proposed methodology is based on multispectral images from the Landsat-8 OLI and Sentinel-2A sensors, combined with depth data extracted from nautical charts. After atmospheric correction, empirical methods based on band ratios and polynomial model fitting were applied to estimate water depth. Model performance was evaluated using statistical metrics, including the coefficient of determination (R²), root mean square error (RMSE), mean absolute error (MAE), and mean absolute relative deviation (MARD). The results indicate that the model developed using Landsat-8 data, within the 2–30 m depth range and employing the blue and green band combination (B1/B2), achieved the best performance, with an R² of 0.71 and the lowest error values. The final application of this model enabled the generation of a representative bathymetric map, bathymetric profiles, and three-dimensional models, allowing the identification of submerged morphological features such as the Coroa das Lavadeiras, longitudinal dunes, and transverse dunes, highlighting the potential of the SDB approach for mapping shallow areas of the inner continental shelf of Caiçara do Norte.
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