Hyperspectral Water Reflectance Spectra and TSS in Matagorda and Trinity Bays

Hyperspectral Water Reflectance Spectra and TSS in Matagorda and Trinity BaysDataset overviewThis dataset contains 117 in situ hyperspectral water reflectance spectra collected in two Texas estuarine systems-Matagorda Bay (MB) and Trinity Bay (TB)—during monthly field campaigns spanning August 2024 to July 2025. For each spectrum, a coincident water sample was collected and analyzed for Total Suspended Solids (TSS), enabling paired spectral–TSS modeling and validation.

Spectral coverage and resolution

Wavelength range: 400–900 nm

Sampling interval: 1 nm (501 wavelength bands)

Files and structure

Format: Excel (.xlsx)

Sheet: Sheet1 (or spectra if using the companion file provided here)

Rows: wavelengths (nm)

Columns: one spectrum per sample (117 samples)

First column: Wavelength (nm)

Remaining columns: reflectance values for each sample

Sample naming convention and TSS encodingEach spectrum column header includes the campaign label and site ID (e.g., MB/TB station code). The associated TSS value (mg L⁻¹) is stored in the column name after the final hyphen.Example: July 25 TB5 - 22 → Site: TB5, Campaign label: “July 25 TB5”, TSS = 22 mg L⁻¹.Note: spacing in column headers may vary; for reliable parsing, extract TSS using the last hyphen.

Variables and units

Wavelength (nm): nanometers

Spectral values: in situ hyperspectral water reflectance (unitless/reflectance-based; see associated manuscript for field protocol and processing details)

TSS: mg L⁻¹ (laboratory measurement paired with each spectrum)

Intended useThese data support:

Training/validation of empirical or ML models for TSS retrieval

Spectral feature/band importance analyses (e.g., red and red–NIR sensitivity to suspended sediment)

Cross-comparison with imaging spectroscopy satellite products (e.g., PRISMA/EMIT/PACE) when co-located/temporally matched

Data notesSmall near-zero negative values may occur at some wavelengths due to instrument noise and processing; users may apply standard QA/QC (e.g., filtering or clipping) as appropriate for their workflow.

CitationPlease cite this dataset as: Karaca, O., Khan, S., Carlson, B., Wright, K., & Aramburu Tinoco, C. (2026). Hyperspectral water reflectance spectra and TSS measurements from Matagorda Bay and Trinity Bay, Texas (Aug 2024–Jul 2025) (Version 1) [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18332065Article citation:Karaca, O., Khan, S., Carlson, B., Wright, K.,  & Aramburu Tinoco, C. (in review / 2026). Machine Learning Based Measuring of Total Suspended Solids in Estuarine Waters Using Hyperspectral Satellite and In Situ Data.