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Information - HS4 Water storage, level and discharge from remote sensing and geodesy (co-listed in G & GI)
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Event Information |
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The monitoring of river water levels, river discharges, water bodies extent, storage in lakes and reservoirs, and floodplain dynamics plays a key role in assessing water resources, understanding surface water dynamics, characterizing and mitigating water related risks and enabling integrated management of water resources and aquatic ecosystems.
While in situ measurement networks play a central role in the monitoring effort, remote sensing techniques are expected to contribute in an increasing way, as they can provide with homogeneous and near real time measurements over large areas, from local to basin wide, regional and global. Developing space based technologies to monitor water levels, extent and storage and, ultimately, estimate river discharges would be a key contribution to the monitoring of global change and its impacts.
This session concerns measurement and/or estimation of water levels, water extent, water storage and water discharge of surface water bodies such as rivers, lakes, floodplains and wetlands, through combined use of remote sensing, field measurement and modelling.
During the last ten to twenty years a large number of satellites and sensors have been developed and launched that allow to quantify and monitor the extent of open water bodies (passive microwaves, active microwaves, optical), the water levels (radar altimetry on satellites such as Topex Poseidon, ERS, GFO, Envisat and Jason), the global water storage and its changes (GRACE). River discharge, a key variable of hydrological dynamics, although still out of reach with available space borne techniques, can be estimated by combining space/in situ observations and modelling, and can be approached with airborne techniques.
The session will be organized around four main questions :
1)What are the current performances of remote sensing measurements of these variables? How to quantify the accuracy and quality of satellite data as a pre-requisite for data assimilation ?
2)What are the innovative contributions of these earth observation data in the understanding of hydrological processes and dynamics ? in particular how do satellite data contribute to hydrological modelling and forecasting ?
3)How do space borne data complement in situ data in an optimal way ?
4)What are the upcoming new technologies that will allow key improvements in the measurement of water bodies level, extent, storage and river discharges and their assimilation in hydrodynamical models?
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Preliminary List of Solicited Speakers |
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