Assessing river discharge dynamics through relative surface water extent changes in river basins
Summary: Surface water in rivers is vital for human society. However, our current understanding of the dynamics and drivers of river flows relies predominantly on stream gauging data, which are limited in spatial coverage and involve significant costs. Remote sensing techniques have emerged as compl...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2025-01-01
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| Series: | iScience |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589004224028256 |
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| author | Feng Mao Margaret Shanafield Val Ouellet David M. Hannah Stefan Krause |
| author_facet | Feng Mao Margaret Shanafield Val Ouellet David M. Hannah Stefan Krause |
| author_sort | Feng Mao |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Summary: Surface water in rivers is vital for human society. However, our current understanding of the dynamics and drivers of river flows relies predominantly on stream gauging data, which are limited in spatial coverage and involve significant costs. Remote sensing techniques have emerged as complementary tools for monitoring river discharge, but these satellite-based methods often require complex data processing. This paper introduces a simple, yet effective and robust methodology to understand river discharge, using Australian rivers as a case study. Our findings reveal that changes in relative surface water extent within river basins can effectively capture river discharge dynamics. Moreover, we observe a linear relationship between relative surface water extent and river discharge in hilly basins and a quadratic relationship in flat basins. The new approach helps monitor river flows in ungauged river basins, and it has the potential to bridge the gap between local and regional understandings of water dynamics. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-7a6d63df0fe647fca92ad3f04c84255b |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2589-0042 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | iScience |
| spelling | doaj-art-7a6d63df0fe647fca92ad3f04c84255b2025-01-11T06:41:49ZengElsevieriScience2589-00422025-01-01281111598Assessing river discharge dynamics through relative surface water extent changes in river basinsFeng Mao0Margaret Shanafield1Val Ouellet2David M. Hannah3Stefan Krause4Institute for Global Sustainable Development, School for Cross-faculty Studies, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK; Corresponding authorCollege of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Tonsley 5042 SA, AustraliaAtlantic Salmon Federation, St. Andrews, NB E5B 3S8, CanadaSchool of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UKSchool of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UKSummary: Surface water in rivers is vital for human society. However, our current understanding of the dynamics and drivers of river flows relies predominantly on stream gauging data, which are limited in spatial coverage and involve significant costs. Remote sensing techniques have emerged as complementary tools for monitoring river discharge, but these satellite-based methods often require complex data processing. This paper introduces a simple, yet effective and robust methodology to understand river discharge, using Australian rivers as a case study. Our findings reveal that changes in relative surface water extent within river basins can effectively capture river discharge dynamics. Moreover, we observe a linear relationship between relative surface water extent and river discharge in hilly basins and a quadratic relationship in flat basins. The new approach helps monitor river flows in ungauged river basins, and it has the potential to bridge the gap between local and regional understandings of water dynamics.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589004224028256Earth sciencesMethods in earth sciencesPhysical geographyHydrology |
| spellingShingle | Feng Mao Margaret Shanafield Val Ouellet David M. Hannah Stefan Krause Assessing river discharge dynamics through relative surface water extent changes in river basins iScience Earth sciences Methods in earth sciences Physical geography Hydrology |
| title | Assessing river discharge dynamics through relative surface water extent changes in river basins |
| title_full | Assessing river discharge dynamics through relative surface water extent changes in river basins |
| title_fullStr | Assessing river discharge dynamics through relative surface water extent changes in river basins |
| title_full_unstemmed | Assessing river discharge dynamics through relative surface water extent changes in river basins |
| title_short | Assessing river discharge dynamics through relative surface water extent changes in river basins |
| title_sort | assessing river discharge dynamics through relative surface water extent changes in river basins |
| topic | Earth sciences Methods in earth sciences Physical geography Hydrology |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589004224028256 |
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