Multi-Satellite Data of Land Surface Temperature, Lakes Area, and Water Level for Hydrological Model Calibration and Validation in the Yangtze River Basin

Chiara Corbari,Marco Mancini,Hervè Yesou,Zhongbo Su,Claire Huber,Ying Huang

doi:10.3390/w11122621

Abstract

This study shows the feasibility of the combined use of multi-satellite data and an energy–water balance model for improving the estimates of water fluxes over time and distributed in space in the Yangtze River basin. In particular, a new methodology is used to constrain an internal model variable of the distributed hydrological model based on the satellite land surface temperature. The hydrological FEST-EWB model (flash flood event-based spatially distributed rainfall–runoff transformation–energy water balance model) with its energy–water balance scheme allows to continuously compute in time and distributed in space soil moisture and evapotranspiration (ET) fluxes thanks to a double link with satellite-derived data as input parameters (e.g., LAI) and as variables for model states’ updates as the land surface temperature (LST). This LST was used to calibrate the model soil parameters instead of using only dedicated ground measurements. The effects of the calibration procedure were evaluated at four available river cross-sections along the Yangtze River, considering also the presence of the Three Gorges Dam. Flow duration curves were also considered to understand the volume storages’ changes. The Poyang and Dongting Lakes dynamics were simulated from FEST-EWB and compared against satellite water extended from MERIS and ASAR data and water levels from LEGOS altimetry data (Topex/Poseidon). The FEST-EWB model was run at 0.009° spatial resolution and three hours of temporal resolutions for the period between 2003 and 2006. Absolute errors on LST estimates of 3 °C were obtained while discharge data were simulated with errors of 10%. Errors on the water area extent of 7% and on the water level of 3% were obtained for the two lakes.

Highlights

A more precise estimate of water resources nowadays has a fundamental role for different scientific and operative issues, from flood forecast to drought management, and it is fundamental to the understanding of the natural and human water cycle [1,2,3]
FEST-EWB is a distributed hydrological energy water balance model [60] and it is developed starting from the FEST-WB [17,86]
This is the land surface temperature, which closes the energy balance equation and rules the fluxes of energy and of water mass for any pixel of coordinates, i and j, of the river basin surface. This modeled representative equilibrium temperature (RET) is comparable with the satellite LST, allowing the model to be controlled from remote sensing using the same variable detected from remote sensors

Summary

Introduction

A more precise estimate of water resources nowadays has a fundamental role for different scientific (hydrology, agriculture, climate change) and operative issues, from flood forecast to drought management, and it is fundamental to the understanding of the natural and human water cycle [1,2,3]. Water 2019, 11, 2621 limited by the scarcity of in situ meteorological and discharge data [4] and generally, their calibration and validation rely on the comparison between simulated and observed discharges, which are usually very few [5,6,7]. The integrated use of multi-satellite data and distributed hydrological models based on energy–water balances is an important step ahead for a more precise quantification and verification of evapotranspiration (ET). Satellite data have been used for calibrating the parameters of distributed hydrological modes. Immerzeel and Droogers [21] used evapotranspiration from the MODIS satellite, Campo et al [22] soil moisture from ERS-2 radar images, Rientjes et al [23]

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion