HR: 15:30h
AN: H34A-01    [Abstracts]
TI: Tracking Freshwater from Space
AU: * Alsdorf, D
EM: alsdorf.1@osu.edu
AF: Doug Alsdorf, Geological Sciences the Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210 United States
AB: River discharge as well as lake and wetland storage of water are critical elements of land surface hydrology, yet they are poorly observed globally and the prospects for improvement from in-situ networks are bleak. Considering this, a NASA Surface Water working group has been focused on answering the following science and applications questions: (1) What are the observational and data assimilation requirements for measuring natural and manmade surface storage and river discharge that will allow us to (a) understand the land surface branch of the global hydrologic cycle, (b) predict the consequences of global change, and (c) make assessments for water resources management? (2) What are the roles of wetlands, lakes, and rivers (a) as regulators of biogeochemical and constituent cycles (e.g., carbon, nutrients, and sediments) and (b) in creating or ameliorating water-related hazards of relevance to society? Global models of weather and climate could be constrained spatially and temporally by stream discharge and surface storage measurements. Yet this constraint is rarely applied, despite weather and climate modeling results showing that predicted precipitation is often inconsistent with observed discharge. Thus, as satellite missions are developed for global observations of critical hydrologic parameters such as soil moisture (i.e., HYDROS) and precipitation (i.e., GPM), the lack of concomitant measurements of runoff and surface water storage at compatible spatial and temporal scales may well result in inconsistent parameterizations of global hydrologic, weather, and climate models. Fortunately, several spaceborne methods have provided potential avenues toward answering these hydrologic questions. Among the most promising are active radar and lidar methods that measure inundation area, water heights, and changes. For example, radar altimetry is well known for its ability to measure ocean surface topography and such methods should be easily adaptable to inland waters. The global observations possible from such platforms will have important implications for global water cycle research. Future directions for the SWWG include expanding our scientific interests beyond water mass-balance and hydrodynamics. Issues regarding water quality and water management - even on global scales - are becoming more important. Sediment transport remains a fundamental science goal for many, especially considering the increased efforts toward river and wetland restoration. Hydrologic modeling and remote sensing efforts that connect each of these topics should be a greater focus within the SWWG. Everyone is most welcome to join us in these endeavors.
UR: http://www.geology.ohio-state.edu/swwg
DE: 1833 Hydroclimatology
DE: 1836 Hydrologic budget (1655)
DE: 1860 Runoff and streamflow
DE: 1871 Surface water quality
DE: 1890 Wetlands
SC: Hydrology [H]
MN: 2005 Joint Assembly