Estimation of Chlorophyll-A Concentration in Choghakhor wetland using remote sensing and in-situ measurements

The usage of water resources requires an understanding of water quality, since water resources are the ultimate recipients of pollution from human activities. The main objectives of this study were to investigate the water quality in Choghakhor wetland located in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province using field surveys and to measure the chlorophyll A, using satellite images and to calculate the correlation between the amount of chlorophyll A derived from satellite images and field measurements. For this purpose, water quality of wetland was evaluated using laboratory methods and chlorophyll A was measures using NDCI index and laboratory method. Parameters measured using laboratory methods were DO, EC, PH, TDS, TSS, chlorophyll A, nitrates, water depth, water temperature and the ambient temperature. Sampling was done in 4 stations in the wetland and all tests were carried out within 24 hours after sampling in the laboratory. Statistical analysis of data was done by two-way ANOVA and mean comparison was performed based on Duncan's multiple range test at significance level of 5 percent. Chlorophyll A concentration was measured using NDCI index in ArcGIS 10.3 software. The amount of chlorophyll A derived from satellite images were correlated against the amount of chlorophyll A derived from water sampling and results showed a good correlation (R2 =0.92) between the data obtained from remote sensing and data driven from field survey. This showed that satellite imagery could be used as a useful tool to estimate the amount of chlorophyll A.