Measurement of Suspended Sediment Concentration at the Outlet of the Yellow River Canyon: Using Sentinel-2 Images and Machine Learning

The remote sensing inversion of the Suspended Sediment Concentration (SSC) at the Yellow River estuary is crucial for regional sediment management and the advancement of monitoring techniques for highly turbid waters. Traditional in situ methods and low-resolution imagery are no longer sufficient fo...

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Main Authors: Genxin Song, Youjing Jiang, Xinyu Lei, Shiyan Zhai
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-07-01
Series:Remote Sensing
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/17/14/2424
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author Genxin Song
Youjing Jiang
Xinyu Lei
Shiyan Zhai
author_facet Genxin Song
Youjing Jiang
Xinyu Lei
Shiyan Zhai
author_sort Genxin Song
collection DOAJ
description The remote sensing inversion of the Suspended Sediment Concentration (SSC) at the Yellow River estuary is crucial for regional sediment management and the advancement of monitoring techniques for highly turbid waters. Traditional in situ methods and low-resolution imagery are no longer sufficient for high-accuracy studies. Using SSC data from the Longmen Hydrological Station (2019–2020) and Sentinel-2 imagery, multiple models were compared, and the random forest regression model was selected for its superior performance. A non-parametric regression model was developed based on optimal band combinations to estimate the SSC in high-sediment rivers. Results show that the model achieved a high coefficient of determination (R<sup>2</sup> = 0.94) and met accuracy requirements considering the maximum SSC, MAPE, and RMSE. The B4, B7, B8A, and B9 bands are highly sensitive to high-concentration sediment rivers. SSC exhibited significant seasonal and spatial variation, peaking above 30,000 mg/L in summer (July–September) and dropping below 1000 mg/L in winter, with a positive correlation with discharge. Spatially, the SSC was higher in the gorge section than in the main channel during the flood season and higher near the banks than in the river center during the dry season. Overall, the random forest model outperformed traditional methods in SSC prediction for sediment-laden rivers.
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spelling doaj-art-a283afadf4aa49dc89664e1709816bfb2025-08-20T02:47:17ZengMDPI AGRemote Sensing2072-42922025-07-011714242410.3390/rs17142424Measurement of Suspended Sediment Concentration at the Outlet of the Yellow River Canyon: Using Sentinel-2 Images and Machine LearningGenxin Song0Youjing Jiang1Xinyu Lei2Shiyan Zhai3Faculty of Geographical Science and Engineering, College of Geographical Sciences, Henan University, Zhengzhou 450046, ChinaFaculty of Geographical Science and Engineering, College of Geographical Sciences, Henan University, Zhengzhou 450046, ChinaFaculty of Geographical Science and Engineering, College of Geographical Sciences, Henan University, Zhengzhou 450046, ChinaFaculty of Geographical Science and Engineering, College of Geographical Sciences, Henan University, Zhengzhou 450046, ChinaThe remote sensing inversion of the Suspended Sediment Concentration (SSC) at the Yellow River estuary is crucial for regional sediment management and the advancement of monitoring techniques for highly turbid waters. Traditional in situ methods and low-resolution imagery are no longer sufficient for high-accuracy studies. Using SSC data from the Longmen Hydrological Station (2019–2020) and Sentinel-2 imagery, multiple models were compared, and the random forest regression model was selected for its superior performance. A non-parametric regression model was developed based on optimal band combinations to estimate the SSC in high-sediment rivers. Results show that the model achieved a high coefficient of determination (R<sup>2</sup> = 0.94) and met accuracy requirements considering the maximum SSC, MAPE, and RMSE. The B4, B7, B8A, and B9 bands are highly sensitive to high-concentration sediment rivers. SSC exhibited significant seasonal and spatial variation, peaking above 30,000 mg/L in summer (July–September) and dropping below 1000 mg/L in winter, with a positive correlation with discharge. Spatially, the SSC was higher in the gorge section than in the main channel during the flood season and higher near the banks than in the river center during the dry season. Overall, the random forest model outperformed traditional methods in SSC prediction for sediment-laden rivers.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/17/14/2424suspended sediment concentrationyellow river canyon outletrandom forestsentinel-2 images
spellingShingle Genxin Song
Youjing Jiang
Xinyu Lei
Shiyan Zhai
Measurement of Suspended Sediment Concentration at the Outlet of the Yellow River Canyon: Using Sentinel-2 Images and Machine Learning
Remote Sensing
suspended sediment concentration
yellow river canyon outlet
random forest
sentinel-2 images
title Measurement of Suspended Sediment Concentration at the Outlet of the Yellow River Canyon: Using Sentinel-2 Images and Machine Learning
title_full Measurement of Suspended Sediment Concentration at the Outlet of the Yellow River Canyon: Using Sentinel-2 Images and Machine Learning
title_fullStr Measurement of Suspended Sediment Concentration at the Outlet of the Yellow River Canyon: Using Sentinel-2 Images and Machine Learning
title_full_unstemmed Measurement of Suspended Sediment Concentration at the Outlet of the Yellow River Canyon: Using Sentinel-2 Images and Machine Learning
title_short Measurement of Suspended Sediment Concentration at the Outlet of the Yellow River Canyon: Using Sentinel-2 Images and Machine Learning
title_sort measurement of suspended sediment concentration at the outlet of the yellow river canyon using sentinel 2 images and machine learning
topic suspended sediment concentration
yellow river canyon outlet
random forest
sentinel-2 images
url https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/17/14/2424
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AT youjingjiang measurementofsuspendedsedimentconcentrationattheoutletoftheyellowrivercanyonusingsentinel2imagesandmachinelearning
AT xinyulei measurementofsuspendedsedimentconcentrationattheoutletoftheyellowrivercanyonusingsentinel2imagesandmachinelearning
AT shiyanzhai measurementofsuspendedsedimentconcentrationattheoutletoftheyellowrivercanyonusingsentinel2imagesandmachinelearning