SUSPENDED SEDIMENT LOADS IN THE TAIWAN STRAIT AND THE PHILIPPINE SEA IN RELATION TO TYPHOON ACTIVITY

This study uses remote sensing and satellite imagery to determine the impacts that typhoon events have on suspended sediment loads off the coast of Taiwan. Taiwan can experience multiple typhoons a year, each triggering intense amounts of rainfall and erosion. Typhoons also trigger landslides that induce increased amounts of sediment in river systems which add to the increased offshore suspended sediment loads. This study will use a combination of ArcGIS, ERDAS Imagine, and Matlab to determine if typhoon season causes visible impact on suspended sediment loads off of Taiwan’s coasts. Ocean color satellite imagery will be used to determine significant changes in suspended sediment loads observed between peak typhoon seasons and off-peak seasons as well in response to specific, individual, significant typhoon events. Particulate Inorganic Carbon (PIC) will be used as a proxy for measuring the changes in oceanic suspended sediment load. Preliminary results suggest indication of significant increase in suspended sediments in response to typhoons, particularly major events such as Typhoon Morakot (2009). Additionally, there appears to be greater suspended sediment volumes in the Taiwan Strait (west coast) as opposed to the Philippine Sea (east coast). Various seasons will be compared over the past decade to determine any correlated behavior in response to yearly typhoon seasons as well as a closer look into to why suspended sediment concentrations are higher in the Taiwan Strait than they are in the Philippine Sea.