Estimating suspended sediments concentrations from Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler data in the Venice Lagoon inlets, Italy

The feasibility of monitoring the suspended particle concentration (SPC) and fluxes (PF) with Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers (ADCP) was tested in the Venice Lagoon inlets. The backscatter recorded by boat- and bottom-mounted instruments was converted into SPC estimates with a calibration procedure based on multiple water sample collection and ADCP transects. Time series of PF across the inlets were derived from discharge and SPC data allowing for the calculation of a preliminary budget of the exchanges between the lagoon and the open sea.