title: Evaluation of stream water quality data generated from MODIS images in modeling total suspended solid emission to a freshwater lake.
abstract: Modeling of suspended sediment emission into freshwater lakes is challenging due to data gaps in developing countries. Existing models simulate sediment concentration at a gauging station upstream and none of these studies had modeled total suspended solids (TSS) emissions by inflowing rivers to freshwater lakes as there are no TSS measurements at the river mouth in the upper Blue Nile basin. In this study a 10year TSS time series data generated from remotely sensed MODIS/Terra images using established empirical relationship is applied to calibrate and validate a hydrology model for Lake Tana in Upper Blue Nile Basin. The result showed that at a monthly time scale TSS at the river mouth can be replicated with Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency (NS) of 0.34 for calibration and 0.21 for validation periods. Percent bias (PBIAS) and ratio of the root-mean-square error to the standard deviation of measured data (RSR) are all within range. Given the inaccessibility and costliness to measure TSS at river mouths to a lake the results found here are considered useful for suspended sediment budget studies in water bodies of the basin.
authors: Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA; Columbia University, Department of Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology, New York, USA; The Nature Conservancy, VA, USA. Electronic address: ekk45@cornell.edu.
authors: Essayas K
authors: EK
authors: Ayana
authors: Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA; School of Civil and Water Resources Engineering, Bahir Dar University, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia.
authors: Abeyou W
authors: AW
authors: Worqlul
authors: Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA; School of Civil and Water Resources Engineering, Bahir Dar University, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia.
authors: Tammo S
authors: TS
authors: Steenhuis
mesh_terms: D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000032:analysis*; D062070:Hydrology; D060106:Lakes / Q000737:chemistry*; D045483:Rivers / Q000737:chemistry*; D063809:Satellite Imagery; D014872:Water Movements; D014873:Water Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D014873:Water Pollutants
keywords: Freshwater monitoring; Lake Tana; MODIS; TSS