Development and Calibration of Sentinel-2 Spectral Indices for Water Quality Parameter Estimation in Alqueva Reservoir, Southern Portugal.

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Title: Development and Calibration of Sentinel-2 Spectral Indices for Water Quality Parameter Estimation in Alqueva Reservoir, Southern Portugal.
Authors: Neves, Vítor H.1,2,3 (AUTHOR), Sánchez-Pérez, Lisette2,4 (AUTHOR), Antunes, Sara C.2,3 (AUTHOR), Pace, Giorgio4,5,6 (AUTHOR), Sòria-Perpinyà, Xavier4,5 (AUTHOR), Delegido, Jesús4,6 (AUTHOR) jesus.delegido@uv.es
Source: Remote Sensing. Feb2026, Vol. 18 Issue 3, p469. 20p.
Subjects: Total suspended solids, Chlorophyll, Remote sensing, Atmospheric effects on remote sensing, Water depth, Artificial satellites, Water quality
Geographic Terms: Portugal
Abstract: Highlights: Developed localized empirical models for Chl-a, TSS, and SDD using Sentinel-2. Nine years of in situ data enhanced model calibration and validation. C2RCC-COMPLEX achieved superior performance in Alqueva Reservoir. Satellite-derived maps reveal drought and post-winter water quality trends. Monitoring water quality in large reservoirs is essential yet challenging, particularly in regions with limited in situ coverage. This study presents a robust methodology for integrating a decade-long in situ dataset (2014–2022) with Sentinel-2 multispectral imagery to develop and validate localized algorithms for water quality assessment in the Alqueva Reservoir, the largest artificial lake in Western Europe. Three atmospheric correction algorithms (C2RCC, C2X, C2X-COMPLEX) were evaluated, with C2RCC-COMPLEX identified as the most suitable for capturing the reservoir's optical complexity, yielding the lowest RMSE for Total Suspended Solids (TSS: 2.4 g/m3) and Secchi Disk Depth (SDD: 0.85 m). Empirical models using Sentinel-2 bands 7 (783 nm), 6 (740 nm), and 8A (865 nm) demonstrated strong correlations (R2 ≈ 0.69–0.71) for Chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) with a range data of 0.1–65 mg/m3, TSS with a range data of 2–13.1 g/m3, and SDD with a range data of 0.4–8 m. Spatially explicit water quality maps illustrate the models' capacity to capture distinct gradients and seasonal dynamics, e.g., elevated Chl-a (>30 mg/m3) and TSS (>7.5 g/m3) in the reservoir's nutrient-rich northern section during drought (August 2022), and more uniform conditions following winter recovery (March 2019), with SDD exceeding 2 m near the dam. These results underscore the utility of Sentinel-2 for resolving spatial and temporal variability in optically complex inland waters. The proposed workflow offers a transferable, cost-effective framework for monitoring eutrophication risks and sediment dynamics under increasing hydrological variability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Remote Sensing is the property of MDPI and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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  Data: Development and Calibration of Sentinel-2 Spectral Indices for Water Quality Parameter Estimation in Alqueva Reservoir, Southern Portugal.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Neves%2C+Vítor+H%2E%22">Neves, Vítor H.</searchLink><relatesTo>1,2,3</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Sánchez-Pérez%2C+Lisette%22">Sánchez-Pérez, Lisette</searchLink><relatesTo>2,4</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Antunes%2C+Sara+C%2E%22">Antunes, Sara C.</searchLink><relatesTo>2,3</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Pace%2C+Giorgio%22">Pace, Giorgio</searchLink><relatesTo>4,5,6</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Sòria-Perpinyà%2C+Xavier%22">Sòria-Perpinyà, Xavier</searchLink><relatesTo>4,5</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Delegido%2C+Jesús%22">Delegido, Jesús</searchLink><relatesTo>4,6</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> jesus.delegido@uv.es</i>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Remote+Sensing%22">Remote Sensing</searchLink>. Feb2026, Vol. 18 Issue 3, p469. 20p.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Total+suspended+solids%22">Total suspended solids</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Chlorophyll%22">Chlorophyll</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Remote+sensing%22">Remote sensing</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Atmospheric+effects+on+remote+sensing%22">Atmospheric effects on remote sensing</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Water+depth%22">Water depth</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Artificial+satellites%22">Artificial satellites</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Water+quality%22">Water quality</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Portugal%22">Portugal</searchLink>
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  Label: Abstract
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  Data: Highlights: Developed localized empirical models for Chl-a, TSS, and SDD using Sentinel-2. Nine years of in situ data enhanced model calibration and validation. C2RCC-COMPLEX achieved superior performance in Alqueva Reservoir. Satellite-derived maps reveal drought and post-winter water quality trends. Monitoring water quality in large reservoirs is essential yet challenging, particularly in regions with limited in situ coverage. This study presents a robust methodology for integrating a decade-long in situ dataset (2014–2022) with Sentinel-2 multispectral imagery to develop and validate localized algorithms for water quality assessment in the Alqueva Reservoir, the largest artificial lake in Western Europe. Three atmospheric correction algorithms (C2RCC, C2X, C2X-COMPLEX) were evaluated, with C2RCC-COMPLEX identified as the most suitable for capturing the reservoir's optical complexity, yielding the lowest RMSE for Total Suspended Solids (TSS: 2.4 g/m3) and Secchi Disk Depth (SDD: 0.85 m). Empirical models using Sentinel-2 bands 7 (783 nm), 6 (740 nm), and 8A (865 nm) demonstrated strong correlations (R2 ≈ 0.69–0.71) for Chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) with a range data of 0.1–65 mg/m3, TSS with a range data of 2–13.1 g/m3, and SDD with a range data of 0.4–8 m. Spatially explicit water quality maps illustrate the models' capacity to capture distinct gradients and seasonal dynamics, e.g., elevated Chl-a (>30 mg/m3) and TSS (>7.5 g/m3) in the reservoir's nutrient-rich northern section during drought (August 2022), and more uniform conditions following winter recovery (March 2019), with SDD exceeding 2 m near the dam. These results underscore the utility of Sentinel-2 for resolving spatial and temporal variability in optically complex inland waters. The proposed workflow offers a transferable, cost-effective framework for monitoring eutrophication risks and sediment dynamics under increasing hydrological variability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
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  Data: <i>Copyright of Remote Sensing is the property of MDPI and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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        Value: 10.3390/rs18030469
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      – Code: eng
        Text: English
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        PageCount: 20
        StartPage: 469
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Total suspended solids
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Chlorophyll
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Remote sensing
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Atmospheric effects on remote sensing
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Water depth
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      – SubjectFull: Artificial satellites
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      – SubjectFull: Water quality
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Portugal
        Type: general
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      – TitleFull: Development and Calibration of Sentinel-2 Spectral Indices for Water Quality Parameter Estimation in Alqueva Reservoir, Southern Portugal.
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              M: 02
              Text: Feb2026
              Type: published
              Y: 2026
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