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Improved Hydrological Decision Support System for the Lower Mekong River Basin Using Satellite-Based Earth
Ibrahim Nourein Mohammed1, John D Bolten2, Raghavan Srinivasan3
1Science Applications International Corporation, Hydrological Sciences Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Mail Code 617.0, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA.
Remote Sensing
|June 26, 2018
Summary
Satellite data, including the Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission (TRMM) and Integrated Multi-satellite Retrieval for the Global Precipitation Measurement mission (IMERG), improved hydrological modeling in the Lower Mekong River Basin. This approach better captured streamflow variability than traditional ground-based precipitation data.
Area of Science:
- Hydrology and Earth Observation
- Environmental Science and Remote Sensing
Background:
- The Lower Mekong River Basin faces challenges with in-situ precipitation data, including inconsistency, scarcity, and poor spatial representation.
- Existing hydrological decision support systems require reliable and continuous precipitation forcing data for accurate modeling.
Purpose of the Study:
- To enhance the hydrological decision support system for the Lower Mekong River Basin using satellite-based earth observations.
- To develop and present a software tool for accessing and formatting satellite precipitation and temperature data.
- To compare the performance of satellite-derived precipitation data against in-situ data for hydrologic modeling.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the Soil & Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) hydrologic model.
- Employed a nearest neighbor approximation to fill gaps in Integrated Multi-satellite Retrieval for the Global Precipitation Measurement mission (IMERG) data (2001-2014) and incorporated Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission (TRMM) data.
- Developed a software tool for processing satellite-based precipitation and air temperature data.
Main Results:
- Model-simulated streamflow using TRMM and IMERG forcing data demonstrated a better ability to capture observed streamflow variability compared to simulations using in-situ precipitation data.
- Satellite-based and in-situ precipitation adjustment maps were generated for data correction in the Mekong region.
Conclusions:
- Satellite-based earth observations are crucial for advancing hydrologic modeling in data-scarce regions like the Mekong.
- TRMM and IMERG data provide more reliable precipitation forcing for hydrologic modeling than limited in-situ station data.
- The developed software tool and adjustment maps offer valuable resources for hydrological research and water resource management.
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