Insights for Sea Outfall Turbid Plume Monitoring with High-Spatial-Resolution Satellite Imagery Application in Portugal

Abstract

Coastal municipalities and industries often discharge poorly treated wastewater into proximate marine and estuarine environments. The urban and/or effluent input can lead to eutrophication and lower water quality, as it holds high concentrations of nutrients and pollutants. One widely applied tool to increase effluent dispersion and direct it away from coastal areas, thus causing fewer impacts on human activities, is sea outfall. In Aveiro, Portugal, the São Jacinto sea outfall construction was completed in 1998; however, limited literature regarding the sea outfall’s monitoring using satellite data is available. The methodology in this study involved collecting four years’ worth (2016–2019) of satellite data to investigate visible traces of the interaction between the S. Jacinto sewage water mass and the Ria de Aveiro lagoon ecosystem using ocean color and spectral analysis, and producing new qualitative data regarding sea outfall plume dispersion monitoring through high-resolution Sentinel-2 imagery. The results showed a clear spectral signature of the sewage water mass, and a seasonal pattern was observed in which the plume was more evident in winter and autumn. Additionally, the coastal longshore current and the Aveiro lagoon’s runoff were able to restrict the marine outfall’s dispersion superficially. Ocean color data were revealed to be a factual and cost-effective tool to monitor the plume water. Finally, an exchange between the marine outfall water mass and Ria de Aveiro lagoon could happen in high tide under northern wind conditions. Therefore, it is important to monitor the water quality to ensure the coastal ecosystem’s good environmental state.