Remote sensing applications in hydrological modelling

Abstract

Previous studies have suggested that remotely sensed data should provide major benefits to hydrology and water resources and yet there are few case studies that show practical benefits. One of the reasons for this is the lack of tools to convert remotely sensed data to the type of information useful to water resource systems operators. Hydrological models can play an important role in this translation of data to information. This paper reviews some of the techniques presently used in hydrological models to make use of remotely sensed data and provides a comprehensive reference list. Applications de la télédétection à la modélisation hydrologique Résumé Si de précédentes études on suggéré que les données télédétec-tées pouvaient rendre de grands services à l'hydrologie et à l'étude des ressources en eau, il n'existe que peu d'études de cas mettant en évidence leur intérêt pratique. L'une des causes de cet état de choses est le manque d'outils permettant de traduire les données télédétectées en informations directement utilisables par les gestionnaires des ressources en eau. Les modèles hydrologiques peuvent jouer un grand rôle dans ce processus de transformation de données en informations. Le présent article passe en revue quelques unes des techniques actuellement utilisées en modélisation hydrologique permettant d'utiliser des données télé-détectées et fournit une bibliographie détaillée.

Streamflow Modelling: A Primer on Applications, Approaches and Challenges

“…The HRU approach divides watersheds into areas with uniform characteristics such as slope, aspect, soil type, elevation, and climate. These computational elements can be groups of grid squares, sub-basins, or elevation bands of different areas (Kite and Pietroniro, 1996). Further, the Cold Regions Hydrological Model (CRHM) also discretizes a watershed based on the HRU approach but differs from other hydrological models in its flexibility (Pomeroy et al, 2007).…”

Estimating runoff from ungauged catchments for reservoir water balance in the Lower Middle Zambezi Basin

“…The integration of remote-sensing data into hydrological studies and water balance studies has progressed over the past decades (Kite and Pietroniro, 1996;Weissling and Xie, 2008;Delrieu et al, 2009;Gumindoga et al, 2011;Silvestro et al, 2013). Remote sensing can provide land surface data relevant to specific hydrologic problems such as streamflow or runoff modeling.…”

Three perceptions of the evapotranspiration landscape: comparing spatial patterns from a distributed hydrological model, remotely sensed surface temperatures, and sub-basin water balances

“…Klemeš, 1983Klemeš, , 1988Schultz, 1987Schultz, , 1988, and despite many systematic and practical problems (cf. Kite and Pietroniro, 1996;Beven, 1996Beven, , 2001) a lot of modellers continued working with remotely sensed data in recent years. As satellite data availability has been much increased within the last decade, current research is finally measuring up with many expectations of the 1980s (Nagler, 2011).…”