BUDAPEST UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY AND ECONOMICS

Department of Photogrammetry and Geoinformatics

TOPIC: Measuring river flow over West Africa with passive microwave satellite sensors.
Abdulrahim Fatimah Nana

Abstract Results
The safety and security of millions worldwide is threatened by the increasingly frequent weather
extremes, which cause serious water management problems along rivers. As a result of climate change,
it is necessary to understand the cause and consequences of these extremes in order to be able to adapt
to the new challenges in the future, thereby saving many lives and preventing significant economical
loss. Therefore, it is important to measure the changes in water stage and discharge, one of the key
elements of the monitoring of rivers and inland waters. The continuity of in-field measurements and
their spatial coverage has many gaps worldwide. Due to climate change the monitoring of inland rivers
must become a significant priority, which can have cross-border and regional consequences. Since the
launch of the first Earth observation satellites, remote sensing has become an important tool for
hydrological research. The purpose of this thesis is to demonstrate the use of the Soil Moisture Active
Passive (SMAP) satellite infrastructure to measure interannual variability of river flow in West Africa
over the past decade. .

Introduction

Passive microwave (PMW) sensors were developed as a result of the recognition of the benefit of using
microwave frequencies to penetrate clouds. Passive microwave (PMW) sensors were developed as a
result of the realization of the benefit of using microwave frequencies to penetrate clouds.
Earth Observation advances are therefore a game changer for surface hydrology and a unique
opportunity to develop comprehensive observing systems to monitor Africa’s land water and manage its
water resources.

Aim

❖To Measure River flow over West Africa with passive microwave satellite sensors.

The Specific Objectives

The specific objectives of the study are to:

* Analysis seeks to understand and answer questions such as

* What is the validity of these data's (optical data, in-situ measurement, microwave data).
* How the season varies across the study areas.
* What trend can we find in these data.

Objective of the Study /Study Area Results/ Discussion

The study area for this project will include a significant portion of sub-Saharan Africa, particularly the
west African coast, covering Nigeria, Ghana, Mali, and Burkina Faso.
Analysis seeks to understand and answer questions:
Fig 1.3 shows the Landsat location of the observation/measurement pixels of site id 1453.
This satellite gauging site was selected where significant hydrological behavior was
noticed. In order to check the validity of this satellite data, correlation between the
Landsat 8 of the site id location and the SMOS gauging time series was carried out. The
correlation shows a high agreement thereby confirming the validity of the satellite data.

The same analysis procedure carried out on site id:1453 that resulted in the validity of the
* What is the validity of these data's (optical data, in-situ measurement, microwave data). SMOS data was carried out through all the study areas, A general trend among the study
* How the season varies across the study areas. areas is the performance of SMOS data in the month of October. The month of October
across the study areas shows high peaks. Further analysis is been carried out to explore
* What trend can we find in these data.
why it could be a result of rainfall season or irrigation and some undiscovered reason.
Fig 1.1 Showing the Study Area

References

➢ Srivastava P.K…, et al (2016) researched on Soil Moisture Deficit Estimation Through SMOS Soil Moisture and
MODIS (moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer), Land Surface Temperature, In which they came up
with some conclusions as follows, That SMOS is a cutting-edge and focused effort to measure the soil moisture
parameter globally. According to our knowledge, this study is the first to offer a very thorough assessment of
SMD (soil moisture defect) calculation using the data sets from SMOS soil moisture and MODIS LST.

➢Ramata Magagi…, et al.(2016) worked on Estimation of Soil Water Conditions Using Passive Microwave Remote
Sensing, In several disciplines, including hydrology, meteorology, agriculture, and forestry, soil moisture, or its
water content, is crucial. The controlling function of soil moisture in the processes (infiltration, runoff,
evaporation, etc.) controlling the water cycle and the overall energy balance provides an explanation for this
claim. Because of this function, the Global Climate Observing System has identified soil moisture as a crucial
climate variable (GCOS).

➢Zsofia Kugler…,et.al(2019), worked on a topic titled L-Band Passive Microwave Data from SMOS for River
Gauging Observations in Tropical Climates, A satellite-based monitoring system that gives daily stream flow data
Methods of all the world's rivers is called the Global Flood Detection Systems (GFDS), which is being run at the Joint
Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission. The system was initially developed utilizing Ka-band passive
microwave satellite data from NASA's Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer—Earth Observing System
Materials
(AMSR-E).

For the purpose of this research, we will be using various
materials and methods of analysis, ranging from Landsat
images of (Landsat 4 & 5), In-situ discharge and flow rate
data.
❖In-situ data: In situ data refers to observational data from
ground-based, maritime, or aerial sensors as well as
reference and auxiliary data that have been authorized or
submitted for use. For the purpose of this research the in-
situ data will be collected from the relevant government
officials in the respective countries of research interest.
❖Landsat images: any of the many satellites that collect
information for photographs of the Earth's surface and
coastlines. These satellites have sensors that can detect
sunlight and infrared radiation reflected from the Earth.
➢Zhou. L…, et.al(2016), worked on a topic titled, A Comparative Study on SMOS and NLDAS-2 Soil Moistures
Over a Hydrological Basin—With Continental Climate and came up with some findings; The Soil Moisture and
Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission of the European Space Agency was launched on November 2, 2009. Its primary
goal is to accurately estimate the soil moisture levels around the world for a variety of purposes, including
hydrological modeling.
➢Papa, F., Crétaux, JF., Grippa, M. et al. Water Resources in Africa under Global Change: Monitoring Surface
Waters from Space. Surv Geophys (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10712-022-09700-9
Author
Abdulrahim Fatimah Nana| nanabintabdulrahim@gmail.com
Masters Student, Faculty of Civil Engineering
Budapest University of Technology and Economics
1111 Budapest, Műegyetem rkp. 3.