Satellite Data and Water Resources Management

Prof. Liu Changming & S. Yang

Chinese Academy of Sciences,

Beijing Normal University

Yellow River Project “973-G19990436”

Features of Water Resources in China

1.Although water is abundance, water for each person is short.

2. Water resource distribution differs from space to space

3. Temporal distribution is also uneven

4. Water pollution is serious

Freshwater resources in China:

Average annual amount totals 28124 108 m3

Surface (R): 27115 108 m3

Ground (G): 8288 108 m3

Interacted (RG): 7279 108 m3

Average Annual Precipitation in China (mm)

Average Annual Runoff Distribution in China

The Condition of Water Resources

Management in China

1. Having the system of water resources management

2. Having a series of rules for water resources management

3. Having many institutes and universities to research water resources management

Main problems of water resources research in China

1. Exactly and quickly forecasting flood

2. Analyzing Yellow River lost flow

3. Solving drought in North China

4. Controlling water pollution in South China

5. Preventing water and soil loss in China

Processes of Hydrological Cycle

Problems in Research for Hydrologists and Water

Resources Managers

Difficulty in holding enough data about hydrological processes with precisely spatial and temporal resolution

Advantages of RS Data in WRM

• Able to collect land surface data in a wide space

• Afford dynamic data of hydrological research

• Low-Cost in comparison with measurements

• Good for monitoring

Availability of RS Data

LandsatRadasat

SPOT 2 - Jan. 22, 1990

SPOT 3 - Sept. 25, 1993

SPOT 4 - March 24, 1998

SPOT 1 - Feb. 21, 1986

Landsat

Landsat 1 (07/12/1972 - 01/06/1978) - RBV, MSS (80m)Landsat 2 (01/22/1975-07/27/1983) - RBV, MSS (80m)Landsat 3 (03/05/1978-09/07/1983) - RBV, MSS (80m)

Landsat 4 (07/16/1982 - ) - MSS, TM (30m, 120m)Landsat 5 (03/01/1984 - ) - MSS, TM (30m, 120m)

Landsat 6 (10/05/1993): ETM

Landsat 7 (04/23/1999 - ) - ETM+ (15m,30m, 60m)

Radarsatlaunched in November 1995

RADARSAT is an advanced Earth observation satellite system developed by Canada to monitor environmental change and to support resource sustainability.It carried a Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), a powerful microwave instrument that can transmit and receive signals to "see" through clouds and darkness, obtaining detailed images of the Earth.

TERRA (EOS AM) - 1999/12/18 Launched

TERRA sensors :

ASTER: Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (15m - 3 bands in VNIR; 30m - 6 bands in SWIR; 90m - 5 bands in TIR)

MODIS: Moderate Resolution Spectroradiometer (0.4 - 14.4 m) (250m - 2 bands, 500m - 5 bands, 1000m - 29 bands)

CERES: Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy SystemMISR: Multi-angle Imaging SpectroradiometerMOPITT: Measurements of Pollution in

the Troposphere.

AQUA Launched on May 4 2002

READY TO STUDY EARTH'S WATER CYCLE

SPOT

SPOT-4 VEGETATION SPOT 2 - Jan. 22, 1990

SPOT 3 - Sept. 25, 1993

SPOT 4 - March 24, 1998

SPOT 1 - Feb. 21, 1986

Properties：1m (0.45-0.90 m), 4m ：

(Band 1: 0.45-0.52 m Blue)(Band 2: 0.52-0.60 m Green)(Band 3: 0.63-0.69 m Red)(Band 4: 0.76-0.90 m NIR)

Launched on Sep 4 1999

Quickbird Launched on18 October 2001

The imaging sensors are panchromatic and multispectral.

Properties of Sensor:

0.61m: 450nm-900nm

2.44m: 450nm-520nm

520nm-600nm

630nm-690nm

760nm-900nm

Application of RS Data in WRM

Application to Evaluation of Eco-environment Water Transfer

Project of Western Route Headwaters

Use remote sensing to interpret the messages of land cover and vegetation cover in the project area, and use GIS to get topography， NPP， annual rainfall and mean temperature. On the basis of setting up synthetically natural environment index, the West Route Project Area in upstream Yellow River is separated four grades regions, and they are synthetically analyzed on the aspect of natural environment.