article · Geophysical Research Letters
This research investigated the hydrodynamics of large rivers, which are crucial for understanding biogeochemical cycles, ecology, water availability, and flood risk. While satellite measurements are increasingly used, they have limitations in resolution, coverage, and uncertainty, and cannot directly measure bathymetry or discharge. The study collected new in situ data along 650 km of the Congo River's main stem, including bathymetry and discharge measurements, to supplement existing space-borne data. A key finding was that while satellite altimetry may provide adequate water surface profiles in the Congo's Cuvette Centrale, it is insufficient at the river's outlet. Here, field data revealed significant spatial variability in water surface slope, highlighting limitations for satellite-based studies on other large rivers, particularly for discharge estimation and multichannel river hydraulics modelling.
Understanding how large rivers flow is vital for managing water resources, predicting floods, and protecting ecosystems. This research improves our ability to accurately measure river characteristics, particularly in complex areas, by highlighting where current satellite methods fall short and where ground-based data are essential for reliable information.
This early-stage research provides critical insights for improving hydrological models and flood risk assessments. It could inform the development of more accurate satellite altimetry algorithms or guide the strategic deployment of in situ sensors for river monitoring. Potential users include water resource management organisations, environmental agencies, and engineering firms involved in river infrastructure planning, by providing better data for decision-making.
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Abstract Large river hydrodynamics studies inform global and regional issues pertaining to biogeochemical cycling, ecology, water availability, and flood risk. Such studies rely increasingly on satellite measurements, but these are limited by resolution, coverage, and uncertainty and their inability to directly measure bathymetry or discharge. We obtain new in situ data covering 650 km of the Congo's main stem, including elusive bathymetry and discharge measurements that complement space‐borne data sets. Our key findings relate to our water surface elevation measurements, which show that spatial coverage of existing satellite altimetry for deriving river water surface profiles may be adequate through the globally important Cuvette Centrale but is not at its outlet where our field data reveal significant spatial variability in water surface slope. The findings have implications for altimetry‐based hydrodynamics studies of other large rivers, such as those that involve estimating discharge or modeling multichannel river hydraulics.
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DOI: 10.1029/2019gl083720
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