Accurate Refraction Correction—Assisted Bathymetric Inversion Using ICESat-2 and Multispectral Data

Abstract

Shallow-water depth information is essential for ship navigation and fishery farming. However, the accurate acquisition of shallow-water depth has been a challenge for marine mapping. Combining Ice, Cloud, and Land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2) bathymetry data with multispectral data, satellite-derived bathymetry is a promising solution through which to obtain bathymetric information quickly and accurately. This study proposes a photon refraction correction method considering sea-surface undulations to address errors in the underwater photons obtained by the ICESat-2. First, the instantaneous sea surface and beam emission angle are integrated to determine the sea-surface incidence angle. Next, the distance of photon propagation in water is determined using sea-surface undulation and Snell’s law. Finally, position correction is performed through geometric relationships. The corrected photons were combined with the multispectral data for bathymetric inversion, and a bathymetric map of the Yongle Atoll area was obtained. A bathymetric chart was created using the corrected photons and the multispectral data in the Yongle Atoll. Comparing the results of different refraction correction methods with the data measured shows that the refraction correction method proposed in this paper can effectively correct bathymetry errors: the root mean square error is 1.48 m and the R2 is 0.86.