Spatio-temporal analysis of colored dissolved organic matter over Ebinur Lake in Xinjiang, China

A lack of water quality monitoring stations in arid regions makes it difficult to estimate the exact level of water pollution. Satellite technology is crucial for monitoring the water quality of salt lakes, but due to the diversity of terrestrial water bodies, it is challenging to establish relationships between lake water color parameters and remote sensing reflectance. This study aims to evaluate the reliability of the colored Quasi-Analytical Algorithm Dissolved Organic Matter (QAA-CDOM) model over Ebinur Lake. The absorption coefficient measured on May 19, 2021 was used to analyze the optical properties of Ebinur Lake. The findings show that the QAA-CDOM model performed well in estimating the absorption coefficient of CDOM at 443 nm, with the r2 and RMSE values of 0.69 and 0.12 m-1, respectively. The Landsat 8 OLI data and QAA-CDOM model were then used to derive the spatial-temporal characteristics of the CDOM concentration over Ebinur Lake from 2014 to 2021. The concentration of CDOM changes significantly across time and space, ranging from 0 to 2.5 m-1, with the lowest concentration in May and the highest in August. The central region of the lake has a lower concentration of CDOM than the other regions due to the reflectance of the shallow parts of the lake. This study clarified the inherent optical characteristics of saline lakes and proved the applicability of using the QAA-CDOM model to monitor surface water quality in arid regions of China. This research may be useful for future analyses of the carbon cycle calculations in salt lakes in arid regions.