Journal article
Will the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) Satellite Mission Observe Floods?
Geophysical research letters, Vol.46(17-18), pp.10435-10445
09/28/2019
DOI: 10.1029/2019GL084686
Abstract
The Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission will measure water surface elevations and inundation extents of rivers of the world but with limited temporal sampling. By comparing flood location and duration of 4,664 past flood events recorded by the Dartmouth Flood Observatory to SWOT's orbit ephemeris, we estimate that SWOT would have seen 55% of these, with higher probabilities associated with more extreme events and with those that displaced more than 10,000 people. However, SWOT measurements will exhibit uneven temporal sampling and may require a combination of data obtained at different times to accurately characterize large events. This is illustrated using recent flooding in the United States, in eastern Iowa and in Houston and surrounding areas from Hurricane Harvey. SWOT data have significant potential to improve flood forecasting models by offering data needed to enhance flow routing modeling, provided that users can overcome the potential hurdles associated with its temporal and spatial sampling characteristics.
Plain Language Summary
The Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite mission will simultaneously measure water surface elevations and inundated areas for the Earth's land surface. Such information can be valuable for improving flood models and their calibration; however, SWOT temporal sampling will be limited, with most locations in the world being seen once every 7 to 10 days, which may cause it to miss floods. Using a record of global flood information, including duration and location, compiled by the Dartmouth Flood Observatory and the expected satellite orbit, we estimated that, if already operational, SWOT would have collected at least one measurement over 55% of these events. We illustrate SWOT data coverage using flood inundation maps generated for flooding in eastern Iowa (2008) and in Houston and surrounding areas, Texas, caused by Hurricane Harvey (2017). Due to the novelty of this kind of hydrological information, particularly in the way SWOT samples rivers in time and space, early engagement of potential users may be instrumental to maximize the utility of this open source of worldwide observations of rivers, lakes, and inundated land.
Key Points
SWOT temporal and spatial observation capabilities and limitations are evaluated using recent floods in eastern Iowa and from Hurricane Harvey
During its life cycle, SWOT may observe hundreds of flood events, including over data‐scarce regions
Dartmouth Flood Observatory data suggest that more destructive floods tend to last longer and are more likely to be observed by SWOT
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Will the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) Satellite Mission Observe Floods?
- Creators
- Renato Prata de Moraes Frasson - Ohio State UniversityGuy J.‐P Schumann - University of Colorado BoulderAlbert J Kettner - Institute of Arctic and Alpine ResearchG. Robert Brakenridge - Institute of Arctic and Alpine ResearchWitold F Krajewski - University of Iowa
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Geophysical research letters, Vol.46(17-18), pp.10435-10445
- DOI
- 10.1029/2019GL084686
- ISSN
- 0094-8276
- eISSN
- 1944-8007
- Number of pages
- 11
- Grant note
- NASA
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 09/28/2019
- Academic Unit
- Civil and Environmental Engineering
- Record Identifier
- 9984197326802771
Metrics
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