Shallow-water bathymetry using Landsat 8 imagery – example of Ibafon and Badagry Creeks, Lagos Nigeria

Abstract

There is high demand for the seabed topography of water bodies. The shallow nature of some waterbodies makes it difficult to deploy the conventional bathymetry method, that is the use of echo-sounders on a vessel. Under these conditions, remote sensing methods thrive with significant advantages in terms of costs, coverage area and delivery time. In this study, Stumpf’s algorithm was applied on Landsat imagery to derive bathymetric data in parts of Ibafon Creek and Badagry Creek in Lagos, Nigeria. In the findings, the depths were generally shallow with depth range between 0.7 m and 13.3 m and an average depth of 4.84 m. In several instances, the remote sensing method of bathymetry can serve as an alternative to the conventional methods in shallow waters, and can as well be used as a reconnaissance tool to obtain change in depth over several epochs.