A new method to measure suspended sediment content （SSC） in different depth water and a suspended solids concentration determination （SSCD） device specially designed for this purpose are described. Water samples from different depths can be pumped into the ship-carried SSCD device and then their SSC is measured by a spectroradiometer. The optimum spectral bands for SSC remote sensing were proved to be TM3 and MSS5. The study has shown that in this two bands the optimum mathematical models for SSC remote sensing have similar form: LogY = a + bX （where Y = SSC

X = average reflectance within band TM3 or MSS5）. The results of in-situ measurement indicated that the accuracy of the new method was satisfactory. Its average relative error of SSC determination was not more than 11%. Since the new method has advantages such as low cost

high efficiency and SSC real time measurement

to which the conventional hydrological method is incomparable

it is well worth extending it into hydrological

oceanographic and environmental investigation.