Remote sensing as a tool for diagnosis of water quality in Indonesian seas
Shrimp development in Indonesia, after a decade of strong expansion and intensification, began to be faced with critical problems of mortality. General degradation of coastal waters is likely to be the major reason, and this mainly occurs on sites in the Java Sea which appear as confined seas subjected to high telluric effluent levels and anthropic pressure. Remote sensing provides synoptic vision over large areas. Several scenes were processed for land-use mapping using conventional classification techniques. In this study, this was specifically done to determine water quality. A general empirical relation for the Java Sea, independent of time and place, was found between image and field data, namely pigments and suspended matter. Applying this relation to a new site provides an initial approach to water type and, together with land use mapping, a preliminary assessment of the suitability of the area for shrimp aquaculture development. It also provides guidance for efficient subsequent field sampling. Recommendations are given for use of remote sensing to improve site assessment and monitoring.