Landsat-MSS satellite data and corresponding water quality measurements of suspended sediment concentration for Lake Chicot, Arkansas, were used to evaluate several possible models For the relation between these two data types. Satellite data were converted to physical values of radiance and reflectance using both the NASA standard curve and the spectrum recommended by the World Radiation Center. Incorporation of an orbital eccentricity correction factor into the computation of solar spectral irradiance was also tested.