Abstract
AbstractAccurate measurement of water surface height is key to many fields in hydrology and limnology. Satellite radar and laser altimetry have been shown to be useful means of obtaining such data where no ground gauging stations exist, and the accuracy of different satellite instruments is now reasonably well understood. Past validation studies have shown water surface height data from the ICESat instrument to have the highest vertical accuracy (mean absolute errors of ∼10 cm for ICESat, compared, for example, with ∼28 cm from Envisat), yet no freely available source of processed ICESat data currently exists for inland water bodies. Here we present a database of processed and quality checked ICESat‐derived inland water surface heights (IWSH) for water bodies greater than 3 arc sec (∼92 m at the equator) in width. Four automated methods for removing spurious observations or outliers were investigated, along with the impact of using different water masks. We find that the best performing method ensures that observations used are completely surrounded by water in the SRTM Water Body data. Using this method for removing spurious observations, we estimate transect‐averaged water surface heights at 587,292 unique locations from 2003 to 2009, with the number of locations proportional to the size of the river.
Highlights
The use of remote sensing data sets in water resources monitoring has become increasingly popular, especially in those large areas of the globe not covered by the existing ground gauge network or for areas where gauge data cannot be obtained in a timely manner [Alsdorf et al, 2007; Calmant et al, 2008]
All satellite altimetry missions measure surface water height in a similar way: a short energy pulse is transmitted which is reflected by the water surface back to the sensor
The choice of satellite altimeter is extremely important, and Table 1 lists the characteristics of the principal altimetry instruments
Summary
The use of remote sensing data sets in water resources monitoring has become increasingly popular, especially in those large areas of the globe not covered by the existing ground gauge network or for areas where gauge data cannot be obtained in a timely manner [Alsdorf et al, 2007; Calmant et al, 2008]. Satellite altimeters routinely provide estimates of water surface heights globally for many river and lake systems and for hydrological and limnological studies Calmant and Seyler [2006] and Calmant et al [2008] present a list of applications which satellite altimetry can help address. These applications include: the estimation of discharge; the geodetic levelling of hydrological network gauging stations; the estimation of spatial and temporal variations in water storage; the creation of water surface slope profiles; the monitoring of lakes; and the understanding of hydrologic regimes in ungauged or poorly gauged basins.
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