Potential role of passive microwave remote sensing in improving flood forecasts

Abstract

The potential of using satellite based microwave observations of soil moisture to improve flood predictability was explored during a specific major flood event. Predictability is a key contribution to forecasting skill for regional-scale flooding events occurring over time scales of days to weeks and remote sensing observations could add skill to predictions of flood peak timing and magnitude. Data from the Advanced Microwave Sensing Radiometer (AMSR-E) was used to demonstrate the potential of remotely sensed soil moisture in flood forecasting applications. The current study demonstrates the potential of these observations to predicting the floods in the northeastern Australia (Queensland) during January-February 2004. There is a clear signal expressed by low brightness temperatures (i.e., highest soil moistures) over the affected areas preceding the peak streamflow conditions. That is, the inundated land surface conditions displayed are a detectable precursor to subsequent downstream flooding. The use of remotely sensed passive microwave observations improves the forecasting skill for regional scale flooding