Characteristics of the Kuban River Plume according to Satellite Data

Abstract—According to satellite data from Landsat 8–9 and Sentinel-1–2 for the period 2017–2024, the spatiotemporal variability of the Kuban River plume distribution has been studied. The features of plume manifestation on radar images, as well as in the visible and infrared range, are studied. It is shown that the Kuban plume is formed from two main jets and the waters of the Kurchansky estuary near the river mouth. Based on the analysis of long-term optical data, four types of plume propagation are identified: western, eastern, northern, and alongshore. The most extensive spread of the plume occurs during the northern type, when the plume spread to a distance of up to 15.5 km from the coastline. The main reason for changes in plume distribution is variability in wind conditions. The seasonal and interannual variability of the distribution of Kuban waters has been studied. For the period 2019–2023, in most cases, plumes of a western direction were recorded (2019 45%, 2020 49%, 2022 35%, and 2023 45% of cases), except for 2021, when more often plumes spread to the east (in 37% of cases) under the influence of abnormal wind conditions.