Mapping the bathymetry of shallow coastal water using single-frame fine-resolution optical remote sensing imagery

This paper presents a bathymetry inversion method using single-frame fine-resolution optical remote sensing imagery based on ocean-wave refraction and shallow-water wave theory. First, the relationship among water depth, wavelength and wave radian frequency in shallow water was deduced based on shallow-water wave theory. Considering the complex wave distribution in the optical remote sensing imagery, Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) and spatial profile measurements were applied for measuring the wavelengths. Then, the wave radian frequency was calculated by analyzing the long-distance fluctuation in the wavelength, which solved a key problem in obtaining the wave radian frequency in a single-frame image. A case study was conducted for Sanya Bay of Hainan Island, China. Single-frame fine-resolution optical remote sensing imagery from QuickBird satellite was used to invert the bathymetry without external input parameters. The result of the digital elevation model (DEM) was evaluated against a sea chart with a scale of 1:25 000. The root-mean-square error of the inverted bathymetry was 1.07 m, and the relative error was 16.2%. Therefore, the proposed method has the advantages including no requirement for true depths and environmental parameters, and is feasible for mapping the bathymetry of shallow coastal water.