INTERPRETATION OF LANDSAT IMAGERY OF COASTAL ZONES

The Landsat imageries of a coastal zone reveal spectrums of light reflected from various objects in that zone. The intensity of back-scattered light from sea water is directly proportional to the concentration of suspended matter in sea water.Over clear water,the intensity of reflecthd light from the bottom is a negative correlation to the depth of the water.Over relatively turbid waters of the nearshore zone, the bottom relief can be revaled indirectly through the variation in the turbidity of the water.The Landsat imageries of the stbaqueous parts of the deltas of Luan He, Huang He and Chang Jiang clearly show a succession of four deltas of Luan He, each younger than the one beside it;the branching of tributaries in the lower reaches of Huang He; the southward shifting of the sand bars in the estuary of the Chang Jiang. After a synthetcal study of the Landsat imagery of Shantung Peninsula, we have found that the tectonic nature differs between the north and south coast of the peninsula. The north coast is a leveled coast of emergence, while the south coast as a result of submergence, belongs to the ria type.