Remote Sensing of Hydrological Extremes

Description

This volume provides in-depth coverage of the latest in remote sensing of hydrological extremes:  both floods and droughts. The book is divided into two distinct sections – floods and droughts – and offers a variety of techniques for monitoring each.  With rapid advances in computer modelling and observing systems, floods and droughts are studied with greater precision today than ever before. Land surface models, especially over the entire Continental United States, can map the hydrological cycle at kilometre and sub-kilometre scales. In the case of smaller areas there is even higher spatial resolution and the only limiting factor is the resolution of input data. In-situ sensors are automated and the data is directly relayed to the world wide web for many hydrological variables such as precipitation, soil moisture, surface temperature and heat fluxes. In addition, satellite remote sensing has advanced to providing twice a day repeat observations at kilometre to ten-kilometre spatial scales. We are at a critical juncture in the study of hydrological extremes, and the GPM and SMAP missions as well as the MODIS and GRACE sensors give us more tools and data than were ever available before. A global variety of chapter authors provides wide-ranging perspectives and case studies that will make this book an indispensable resource for researchers, engineers, and even emergency management and insurance professionals who study and/or manage hydrological extremes. Front Matter....Pages i-xiv Front Matter....Pages 1-1 Satellite-Based Estimation of Water Discharge and Runoff in the Magdalena River, Northern Andes of Colombia....Pages 3-19 Remote Sensing of Drivers of Spring Snowmelt Flooding in the North Central U.S.....Pages 21-45 The NASA Global Flood Mapping System: Final Draft....Pages 47-63 Congo Floodplain Hydraulics using PALSAR InSAR and Envisat Altimetry Data....Pages 65-81 Optical and Physical Methods for Mapping Flooding with Satellite Imagery....Pages 83-103 Near Real-Time Flood Monitoring and Impact Assessment Systems....Pages 105-118 Front Matter....Pages 119-119 Remote Sensing of Drought: Vegetation, Soil Moisture, and Data Assimilation....Pages 121-149 Drought Monitoring and Assessment Using Remote Sensing....Pages 151-172 A Framework for Assessing Soil Moisture Deficit and Crop Water Stress at Multiple Space and Time Scales Under Climate Change Scenarios Using Model Platform, Satellite Remote Sensing, and Decision Support System....Pages 173-196 Monitoring Drought in Brazil by Remote Sensing....Pages 197-218 Multi-Sensor Remote Sensing of Drought from Space....Pages 219-247 Back Matter....Pages 249-251