Quantification of surface water volume changes in the Mackenzie Delta using satellite multi-mission data

Abstract. Quantification of surface water storage in extensive floodplains and their dynamics are crucial for a better understanding of global hydrological and biogeochemical cycles. In this study, we present estimates of both surface water extent and storage combining multi-mission remotely sensed observations and their temporal evolution over more than 15 years in the Mackenzie Delta. The Mackenzie Delta is located in the northwest of Canada and is the second largest delta in the Arctic Ocean. The delta is frozen from October to May and the recurrent ice break-up provokes an increase in the river's flows. Thus, this phenomenon causes intensive floods along the delta every year, with dramatic environmental impacts. In this study, the dynamics of surface water extent and volume are analysed from 2000 to 2015 by combining multi-satellite information from MODIS multispectral images at 500 m spatial resolution and river stages derived from ERS-2 (1995–2003), ENVISAT (2002–2010) and SARAL (since 2013) altimetry data. The surface water extent (permanent water and flooded area) peaked in June with an area of 9600 km2 (±200 km2) on average, representing approximately 70 % of the delta's total surface. Altimetry-based water levels exhibit annual amplitudes ranging from 4 m in the downstream part to more than 10 m in the upstream part of the Mackenzie Delta. A high overall correlation between the satellite-derived and in situ water heights (R > 0.84) is found for the three altimetry missions. Finally, using altimetry-based water levels and MODIS-derived surface water extents, maps of interpolated water heights over the surface water extents are produced. Results indicate a high variability of the water height magnitude that can reach 10 m compared to the lowest water height in the upstream part of the delta during the flood peak in June. Furthermore, the total surface water volume is estimated and shows an annual variation of approximately 8.5 km3 during the whole study period, with a maximum of 14.4 km3 observed in 2006. The good agreement between the total surface water volume retrievals and in situ river discharges (R= 0.66) allows for validation of this innovative multi-mission approach and highlights the high potential to study the surface water extent dynamics.

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Quantification of surface water volume changes in the Mackenzie Delta using satellite multi-mission data

10.5194/hess-2017-170 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Cassandra Normandin ◽

Frédéric Frappart ◽

Bertrand Lubac ◽

Simon Bélanger ◽

Vincent Marieu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Surface Water ◽

Water Levels ◽

The Arctic ◽

Water Volume ◽

Mackenzie Delta ◽

North West ◽

Flood Peak ◽

Upstream Part ◽

Water Height

Abstract. Quantification of surface water storage in extensive floodplains and their dynamics are crucial for a better understanding of global hydrological and biogeochemical cycles. In this study, we present estimates of both surface water extent and storage combining multi-missions remotely-sensed observations and their temporal evolution over more than 15 years in the Mackenzie Delta. The Mackenzie Delta is located in the North West of Canada and is the second largest delta in the Arctic Ocean. The delta is frozen from October to May and the recurrent ice break up provokes an increase of the river's flows. Thus, this phenomenon causes intensive floods along the delta every year with dramatic environmental impacts. In this study, the dynamics of surface water extent and volume analyzed from 2000 to 2015 by combining multi-satellite information from MODIS multispectral images at 500 m spatial resolution and river stages derived from ERS-2 (1995–2003), ENVISAT (2002–2010) and SARAL (since 2013) altimetry data. The surface water extent (permanent water and flooded area) peaked in June with an area of 9,600 km2 (±200 km2) on average, representing approximately 70 % of the delta's total surface. Altimetry-based water levels exhibit annual amplitudes ranging from 4 m in the downstream part to more than 10 m in the upstream part of the Mackenzie Delta. A high overall correlation between the satellite-derived and in situ water heights (R>0.84) is found for the three altimetry missions. Finally, using altimetry-based water levels and MODIS-derived surface water extents, maps of interpolated water heights over the surface water extents are produced. Results indicate a high variability of the water height magnitude that can reach 10 meters compared to the lowest water height in the upstream part of the delta during the flood peak in June. Furthermore, the total surface water volume is estimated and shows an annual variation of approximately 8.5 km3 during the whole study period, with a maximum of 14.4 km3 observed in 2006. The good agreement between the total surface water volume retrievals and in situ river discharges (R=0.66) allows validating this innovative multi-mission approach and highlights the high potential to study the surface water extent dynamics.

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Interannual variations of the terrestrial water storage in the Lower Ob' Basin from a multisatellite approach

Hydrology and Earth System Sciences ◽

10.5194/hess-14-2443-2010 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 14 (12) ◽

pp. 2443-2453 ◽

Cited By ~ 31

Author(s):

F. Frappart ◽

F. Papa ◽

A. Güntner ◽

S. Werth ◽

G. Ramillien ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Surface Water ◽

Root Zone ◽

Water Storage ◽

Temporal Variations ◽

Water Levels ◽

The Arctic ◽

Water Volume ◽

Hydrological Models ◽

Radar Altimetry ◽

Terrestrial Water

Abstract. Temporal variations of surface water volume over inundated areas of the Lower Ob' Basin in Siberia, one of the largest contributor of freshwater to the Arctic Ocean, are estimated using combined observations from a multisatellite inundation dataset and water levels over rivers and floodplains derived from the TOPEX/POSEIDON (T/P) radar altimetry. We computed time-series of monthly maps of surface water volume over the common period of available T/P and multisatellite data (1993–2004). The results exhibit interannual variabilities similar to precipitation estimates and river discharge observations. This study also presents monthly estimates of groundwater and permafrost mass anomalies during 2003–2004 based on a synergistic analysis of multisatellite observations and hydrological models. Water stored in the soil is isolated from the total water storage measured by GRACE when removing the contributions of both the surface reservoir, derived from satellite imagery and radar altimetry, and the snow estimated by inversion of GRACE measurements. The time variations of groundwater and permafrost are then obtained when removing the water content of the root zone reservoir simulated by hydrological models.

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Interannual variations of the terrestrial water storage in the Lower Ob' basin from a multisatellite approach

Hydrology and Earth System Sciences Discussions ◽

10.5194/hessd-7-6647-2010 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 7 (5) ◽

pp. 6647-6676

Author(s):

F. Frappart ◽

F. Papa ◽

A. Güntner ◽

S. Werth ◽

G. Ramillien ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Surface Water ◽

Root Zone ◽

Water Storage ◽

Temporal Variations ◽

Water Levels ◽

The Arctic ◽

Water Volume ◽

Hydrological Models ◽

Precipitation Estimates ◽

Terrestrial Water

Abstract. Temporal variations of surface water volume over inundated areas of the Lower Ob' basin in Siberia, one of the largest contributor of freshwater to the Arctic Ocean, are estimated using combined observations from a multisatellite inundation dataset and water levels over rivers and floodplains derivec from the TOPEX/POSEIDON (T/P) altimetry satellite. We computed time-series of monthly maps of surface water volume over the period of common availability of T/P and the multisatellite data (1993–2004). The results exhibit similar interannual variabilities with precipitation estimates and river discharge observations. This study also presents monthly estimates of groundwater and permafrost mass anomalies during 2003–2004 based on a synergistic analysis using multisatellite observations and hydrological models. Water stored in aquifer is isolated from the total water storage measured by GRACE by removing the contributions of both the surface reservoir, derived from satellite imagery and radar altimetry, and the root zone reservoir simulated by hydrological models.

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A global lake and reservoir volume analysis using a surface water dataset and satellite altimetry

10.5194/hess-2018-21 ◽

2018 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Tim Busker ◽

Ad de Roo ◽

Emiliano Gelati ◽

Christian Schwatke ◽

Marko Adamovic ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Surface Water ◽

Satellite Altimetry ◽

Google Earth ◽

Water Levels ◽

Water Volume ◽

Lake Area ◽

Reservoir Volume ◽

Long Time ◽

Lakes And Reservoirs ◽

Computationally Intensive

Abstract. Lakes and reservoirs are crucial elements of the hydrological and biochemical cycle and are a valuable resource for hydropower, domestic and industrial water use and irrigation. Although their monitoring is crucial in times of increased pressure on water resources by both climate change and human interventions, publically available datasets of lakes and reservoir levels and volumes are scarce. Within this study, a time series of variation in lake and reservoir volume between 1984 and 2015 were analysed for 135 lakes over all continents by combining the JRC Global Surface Water (GSW) dataset and the satellite altimetry database DAHITI. The GSW dataset is a highly accurate surface water dataset at 30 m resolution compromising the whole L1T Landsat 5, 7 and 8 archive, which allowed for detailed lake area calculations globally over a very long time period using Google Earth Engine. Therefore, the estimates in water volume fluctuations using the GSW dataset are expected to improve compared to current techniques as they are not constrained by complex and computationally intensive classification procedures. Lake areas and water levels were combined in a regression to derive the hypsometry relationship (dh/dA) for all lakes. Nearly all lakes showed a linear regression, and 42 % of the lakes showed a strong linear relationship with an R2 > 0.8 and an average R2 of 0.91. For these lakes and for lakes with a nearly constant lake area (coefficient of variation

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Modeling different freeze/thaw processes in heterogeneous landscapes of the Arctic polygonal tundra using an ecosystem model

Geoscientific Model Development Discussions ◽

10.5194/gmdd-6-4883-2013 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 6 (3) ◽

pp. 4883-4932 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

S. Yi ◽

K. Wischnewski ◽

M. Langer ◽

S. Muster ◽

J. Boike

Keyword(s):

Analytical Solutions ◽

Land Surface ◽

Ecosystem Model ◽

In Situ Measurements ◽

Water Levels ◽

The Arctic ◽

Freeze Thaw ◽

Warming Climate ◽

Water Depths

Abstract. Freeze/thaw (F/T) processes can be quite different under the various land surface types found in the heterogeneous polygonal tundra of the Arctic. Proper simulation of these different processes is essential for accurate prediction of the release of greenhouse gases under a warming climate scenario. In this study we have modified the dynamic organic soil version of the Terrestrial Ecosystem Model (DOS-TEM) to simulate F/T processes beneath the polygon rims, polygon centers (with and without water), and lakes that are common features in Arctic lowland regions. We first verified the F/T algorithm in the DOS-TEM against analytical solutions, and then compared the results with in situ measurements from Samoylov Island, Siberia. In the final stage, we examined the different responses of the F/T processes for different water levels at the various land surface types. The simulations revealed that (1) the DOS-TEM was very efficient and its results compared very well with analytical solutions for idealized cases, (2) the simulations compared reasonably well with in situ measurements although there were a number of model limitations and uncertainties, (3) the DOS-TEM was able to successfully simulate the differences in F/T dynamics under different land surface types, and (4) permafrost beneath water bodies was found to respond highly sensitive to changes in water depths between 1 and 2 m. Our results indicate that water is very important in the thermal processes simulated by the DOS-TEM; the heterogeneous nature of the landscape and different water depths therefore need to be taken into account when simulating methane emission responses to a warming climate.

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Potential and Limitations of Satellite Altimetry Constellations for Monitoring Surface Water Storage Changes—A Case Study in the Mississippi Basin

Remote Sensing ◽

10.3390/rs12203320 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (20) ◽

pp. 3320

Author(s):

Denise Dettmering ◽

Laura Ellenbeck ◽

Daniel Scherer ◽

Christian Schwatke ◽

Christoph Niemann

Keyword(s):

Surface Water ◽

Mississippi River ◽

Satellite Altimetry ◽

Remote Sensing Data ◽

Water Area ◽

Water Levels ◽

In Situ Data ◽

Ocean Topography

Remote sensing data are essential for monitoring the Earth’s surface waters, especially since the amount of publicly available in-situ data is declining. Satellite altimetry provides valuable information on the water levels and variations of lakes, reservoirs and rivers. In combination with satellite imagery, the derived time series allow the monitoring of lake storage changes and river discharge. However, satellite altimetry is limited in terms of its spatial resolution due to its measurement geometry, only providing information in the nadir direction beneath the satellite’s orbit. In a case study in the Mississippi River Basin (MRB), this study investigates the potential and limitations of past and current satellite missions for the monitoring of basin-wide storage changes. For that purpose, an automated target detection is developed and the extracted lake surfaces are merged with the satellites’ tracks. This reveals that the current altimeter configuration misses about 80% of all lakes larger than 0.1 km2 in the MRB and 20% of lakes larger than 10 km2, corresponding to 30% and 7% of the total water area, respectively. Past altimetry configurations perform even more poorly. From the larger water bodies represented by a global hydrology model, at least 91% of targets and 98% of storage changes are captured by the current altimeter configuration. This will improve significantly with the launch of the planned Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission.

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Sulphate soils and the abundance of metals in the surrounding water - a case study from Halland, SW Sweden.

10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-8257 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Amanda Lindgren ◽

Markus Giese

Keyword(s):

Surface Water ◽

Acid Soil ◽

Water Levels ◽

Estuarine Sediments ◽

Element Abundance ◽

Precipitation Pattern ◽

Groundwater Levels ◽

Acid Sulphate ◽

Acid Sulphate Soils

Acid sulphate soils (AS soils) are in literature described as the &#8220;nastiest soils in the world&#8221; (Dent & Pons, 1995 pg.1) affecting swathes of land around the globe. The changed oxygen conditions in the soil as a result of altered ground water levels, causes a severe decrease in pH, consequently enabling metals to leach out to recipient water streams (e.g. &#197;str&#246;m, 2001). In northern Scandinavia, several fish kills have been reported due to leaching AS soils (e.g. Hudd and Kjellmann, 2002) allowing for these areas to be the focal point of prior investigations (e.g. Nordmyr et al., 2008; Lax, 2005; &#197;str&#246;m, 2001). However, seasonally lowered local groundwater levels caused by altered temperature and precipitation pattern in Scandinavia increases the need for additional research in southern Scandinavia. Therefore, this study investigates the impacts of AS soils on water chemistry in Halland, SW Sweden; an area previously covered by the Littorina sea. In order to estimate potential metal emissions after a period of low groundwater levels, in situ surface water sampling was conducted from smaller ditches draining an active AS soil into a nearby canal. Additional hydro-chemical parameters, such as pH, redox potential and electric conductivity were simultaneously measured in situ and groundwater data from nearby wells were retrieved. The concentrations of several metals, such as Al, Cu, Fe and V were analysed using an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) instrument and the total organic carbon (TOC) in the samples were determined. The results provided a clear indication of leaching acids to the surface water, through elevated concentrations of numerous metals, along with a pH of 3.82 - 6.64 in the surface water. Several metals such as Al and Mn, were highly elevated, in some cases close to 100 times higher than the background levels. No signal was found in the groundwater data retrieved, presumably due to the great difference in depth between private wells and the AS soil layer.&#160;Sources:Dent, D. L., & Pons, L. J. (1995). A world perspective on acid sulphate soils. Geoderma, 67(3-4), 263-276, DOI: 10.1016/0016-7061(95)00013-E.&#197;str&#246;m, M. (2001). The effect of acid soil leaching on trace element abundance in a medium-sized stream, W. Finland. Applied Geochemistry, 16(3), 387-396, DOI: 10.1016/S0883-2927(00)00034-2.Hudd, R., Kjellman, J., 2002. Bad matching between hatching and acidification: a pitfall for the burbot, Lota lota, off the river Kyr&#246;njoki, Baltic Sea. Fisheries Research 55, 153-160, DOI: 10.1016/S0165-7836(01)00303-4.Lax, K. (2005). Stream plant chemistry as indicator of acid sulphate soils in Sweden. Agricultural and Food Science, 14(1), 83-97, DOI: 10.2137/1459606054224165.Nordmyr, L., &#197;str&#246;m, M., & Peltola, P. (2008). Metal pollution of estuarine sediments caused by leaching of acid sulphate soils. Estuarine, coastal and shelf science, 76(1), 141-152, DOI: 10.1016/j.ecss.2007.07.002.

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STORM ICE OIL WIND WAVE WATCH SYSTEM (SIOWS): WEB GIS APPLICATION FOR MONITORING THE ARCTIC

Proceedings of International Conference "Managinag risks to coastal regions and communities in a changinag world" (EMECS'11 - SeaCoasts XXVI) ◽

10.31519/conferencearticle_5b1b93852689d4.28131112 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Alexander Myasoedov ◽

Sergey Azarov ◽

Ekaterina Balashova ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Satellite Data ◽

Wind Wave ◽

Arctic Region ◽

Web Gis ◽

The Arctic ◽

Flexible Tool ◽

In Situ Data ◽

Current State ◽

Watch System

Working with satellite data, has long been an issue for users which has often prevented from a wider use of these data because of Volume, Access, Format and Data Combination. The purpose of the Storm Ice Oil Wind Wave Watch System (SIOWS) developed at Satellite Oceanography Laboratory (SOLab) is to solve the main issues encountered with satellite data and to provide users with a fast and flexible tool to select and extract data within massive archives that match exactly its needs or interest improving the efficiency of the monitoring system of geophysical conditions in the Arctic. SIOWS - is a Web GIS, designed to display various satellite, model and in situ data, it uses developed at SOLab storing, processing and visualization technologies for operational and archived data. It allows synergistic analysis of both historical data and monitoring of the current state and dynamics of the "ocean-atmosphere-cryosphere" system in the Arctic region, as well as Arctic system forecasting based on thermodynamic models with satellite data assimilation.

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Development of Fragility Curves for Piping and Slope Stability of River Levees

Water ◽

10.3390/w13050738 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (5) ◽

pp. 738

Author(s):

Nicola Rossi ◽

Mario Bačić ◽

Meho Saša Kovačević ◽

Lovorka Librić

Keyword(s):

Slope Stability ◽

Fragility Curves ◽

Safety Margin ◽

Water Levels ◽

Flood Event ◽

Soil Parameters ◽

Design Code ◽

A Site ◽

Insight Into

The design code Eurocode 7 relies on semi-probabilistic calculation procedures, through utilization of the soil parameters obtained by in situ and laboratory tests, or by the means of transformation models. To reach a prescribed safety margin, the inherent soil parameter variability is accounted for through the application of partial factors to either soil parameters directly or to the resistance. However, considering several sources of geotechnical uncertainty, including the inherent soil variability, measurement error and transformation uncertainty, full probabilistic analyses should be implemented to directly consider the site-specific variability. This paper presents the procedure of developing fragility curves for levee slope stability and piping as failure mechanisms that lead to larger breaches, where a direct influence of the flood event intensity on the probability of failure is calculated. A range of fragility curve sets is presented, considering the variability of levee material properties and varying durations of the flood event, thus providing crucial insight into the vulnerability of the levee exposed to rising water levels. The procedure is applied to the River Drava levee, a site which has shown a continuous trend of increased water levels in recent years.

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Microplastics distribution in the Eurasian Arctic is affected by Atlantic waters and Siberian rivers

Communications Earth & Environment ◽

10.1038/s43247-021-00091-0 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Evgeniy Yakushev ◽

Anna Gebruk ◽

Alexander Osadchiev ◽

Svetlana Pakhomova ◽

Amy Lusher ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Surface Water ◽

Surface Waters ◽

Water Masses ◽

The Arctic ◽

Plastic Pollution ◽

Siberian River ◽

Highest Weight ◽

Surface Samples ◽

Atlantic Origin ◽

Type Size

AbstractPlastic pollution is globally recognised as a threat to marine ecosystems, habitats, and wildlife, and it has now reached remote locations such as the Arctic Ocean. Nevertheless, the distribution of microplastics in the Eurasian Arctic is particularly underreported. Here we present analyses of 60 subsurface pump water samples and 48 surface neuston net samples from the Eurasian Arctic with the goal to quantify and classify microplastics in relation to oceanographic conditions. In our study area, we found on average 0.004 items of microplastics per m3 in the surface samples, and 0.8 items per m3 in the subsurface samples. Microplastic characteristics differ significantly between Atlantic surface water, Polar surface water and discharge plumes of the Great Siberian Rivers, allowing identification of two sources of microplastic pollution (p < 0.05 for surface area, morphology, and polymer types). The highest weight concentration of microplastics was observed within surface waters of Atlantic origin. Siberian river discharge was identified as the second largest source. We conclude that these water masses govern the distribution of microplastics in the Eurasian Arctic. The microplastics properties (i.e. abundance, polymer type, size, weight concentrations) can be used for identification of the water masses.

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