Satellite remote sensing of river discharge during snowmelt

EPSRC : Samuel Valman : EP/S023577/1

This project will develop a system to monitor river water discharge using satellite imagery. The method will focus on measuring discharge during the snowmelt season in Québec. This snowmelt period is traditionally the most difficult in which to measure discharge, with traditional methods isolated to single points along the river and prone to error during high flow events.

This new method will use data from the PlanetScope constellation of "cubesat" satellites which enable the collection of daily high-resolution images of study rivers. Fieldwork will be conducted to statistically link in-river discharge to river width measurements obtained from satellite imagery; this statistical model will subsequently allow the prediction of discharge from satellite-measured river width on daily timescales and high accuracy.

Expected outputs of this product include a research article detailing the method and the development of a web-based interface that will be used for monitoring river discharge in flood-prone rivers.