Water depth mapping by means of Landsat TM

A standard method is being developed for water depth mapping in coastal regions using Landsat Thematic Mapper imagery. An atmospheric model is selected for computing the normalized water leaving radiance from the satellite data. Proposed algorithms link the normalized water leaving radiance with the water depth. The algorithms are introduced into the atmospheric model in order to interpret the satellite imagery. A computational method is developed and test sites as well as satellite images are selected. Computations are carried out, resulting in maps of computed bottom levels. Accuracy and reliability of the method are discussed and evaluated.