Delta-X Water Surface Reflectance Measurements from Louisiana Wetlands

Delta-X 2021 field efforts collected in situ above-water remote-sensing reflectance measurements in the Atchafalaya River and Terrebonne Basins of coastal Louisiana. Data capture spans two seasons, from March to April and August to September 2021, with collection paused and resumed around Hurricane Ida's landfall. The dataset, produced by ORNL_CLOUD, provides Version 3 processed reflectance values calculated from radiance measurements taken with a handheld Portable SpectroRadiometer.

Use Cases

• Calibrating satellite-derived water quality algorithms using in situ remote-sensing reflectance (Rrs) values.
• Modeling sediment transport in river channels and bays by correlating reflectance with in-water sediment parameters.
• Assessing seasonal variability in coastal water optical properties between spring and fall sampling campaigns.
• Studying the impact of major storm events like Hurricane Ida on near-shore water reflectance, with data collected before and after the hurricane.

Strengths

• Data collection employs a standardized protocol using a calibrated Portable SpectroRadiometer (PSR-1100f) and a Lambertian Spectralon panel (>99% reflectance).
• Measurements cover a wide range of aquatic environments, from narrow channels a few meters wide to open bays and the nearshore Gulf of Mexico.
• Temporal coverage includes two distinct field seasons in spring and fall 2021, capturing seasonal dynamics.

Limitations

• Key metadata such as row count, file size, and specific column names are unavailable across all provided platform descriptions.
• A conflict exists on the 'last updated' date: one source lists 2026-03-13 while another lists 2021-09-24, creating uncertainty about version currency.
• The license is specified only as 'other-license-specified', requiring users to seek out the exact terms.

Provenance

Source

ORNL_CLOUD

Collection Method

Field measurements collected in situ using a handheld Portable SpectroRadiometer (PSR-1100f) following a specific radiance measurement protocol for panel, sky, and water targets.

Time Range

2021-03-25 to 2021-09-24

Freshness

2026-03-13 03:16:59.227292

Geography

Atchafalaya River and Terrebonne Basins on the southern coast of Louisiana, USA, including some nearshore Gulf of Mexico locations.