Remote sensing of suspended particulate matter in turbid oyster-farming ecosystems

High resolution satellite data of the Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer in full resolution mode (MERIS FR, pixel size is 300 m) were used to study the impact of suspended particulate matter (SPM) on oyster-farming sites in a macrotidal bay of the French Atlantic coast where SPM concentration can exceed 100 g m(-3). Because MERIS standard SPM concentration retrieval saturates at about 50 g m(-3), we developed an alternative method for turbid nearshore waters. The method consists in the combination of the Semi-Analytical Atmospheric and Bio-Optical (SAABIO) atmospheric correction with a regional bio-optical algorithm based on a linear relationship between SPM concentration and the reflectance band ratio at 865 and 560 nm. MERIS FR-derived SPM concentrations were validated from 10 up to 300 g m(-3), and then merged with oyster ecophysiological responses to provide a spatial picture of the impact of SPM concentration on oyster-farming sites. Our approach demonstrates the potential of high resolution satellite remote sensing for aquaculture management and shellfish-farming ecosystems studies.