Suspended sediment balance in Selenga delta at the late XX–early XXI century: Simulation by LANDSAT satellite images

Abstract

Adaptation of the technology of water turbidity simulation by satellite image data for the delta of the Selenga R., the largest Baikal tributary is given. The results of processing a series of 82 Landsat images are used to assess the seasonal variability of suspended sediment balance in the Selenga delta in period from 1989 up to the present time. It is shown that, at higher water discharges (>1500 m³/s), suspended material will accumulate in the delta (on the average 15% of the total sediment transport at the delta head), governed by material precipitation within inundated floodplain area and lakes in the lower part of the delta. At lower water discharges (<1500 m³/s), a longitudinal increase in suspended sediment transport may take place, caused by setups from Baikal side and channel erosion in the branches.