Assessing river discharge dynamics through relative surface water extent changes in river basins.

Area of Science:

• Hydrology
• Remote Sensing
• Water Resource Management

Background:

• River discharge monitoring is crucial but limited by sparse stream gauging data.
• Existing remote sensing methods for river discharge often involve complex processing.
• There is a need for accessible methods to understand river flow dynamics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a simple, effective, and robust methodology for understanding river discharge.
• To assess the relationship between surface water extent and river discharge dynamics.
• To apply the methodology to Australian rivers as a case study.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing changes in relative surface water extent within river basins.
• Analyzing Australian river basins with varying topography (hilly and flat).
• Developing a novel approach to estimate river discharge from satellite-derived water extent.

Main Results:

• Relative surface water extent effectively captures river discharge dynamics.
• A linear relationship was found between surface water extent and discharge in hilly basins.
• A quadratic relationship was observed between surface water extent and discharge in flat basins.

Conclusions:

• The new methodology provides a simple yet robust way to monitor river flows, especially in ungauged basins.
• The findings highlight the potential of surface water extent as a proxy for river discharge.
• This approach can enhance regional and local understanding of water dynamics.