ADVANCING REMOTE SENSING OF FLUVIAL SEDIMENT TRANSPORT AND STORAGE
Abundant satellite imagery and increased processing power has changed the way hydrologists and geomorphologists study rivers by providing access to continental and global- scale datasets. These rich datasets allow us the opportunity to test and expand existing theory at large scales but require a wh...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Other Authors: | , , , , , |
| Format: | Doctoral or Postdoctoral Thesis |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Graduate School
2023
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.17615/cp2h-tx74 https://cdr.lib.unc.edu/downloads/9019sc40v?file=thumbnail https://cdr.lib.unc.edu/downloads/9019sc40v |
| Summary: | Abundant satellite imagery and increased processing power has changed the way hydrologists and geomorphologists study rivers by providing access to continental and global- scale datasets. These rich datasets allow us the opportunity to test and expand existing theory at large scales but require a whole new set of methodologies. Sediment transport research has lagged behind other applications of remote sensing to surface hydrology and fluvial geomorphology, likely due to the complexity of the remote sensing methods and scarcity of in- situ data. In the first chapter of this dissertation, I develop new methods to track the movement of riverbanks over two decades for all rivers wider than 150 meters. With these new data, I confirm well-established theory on the scaling relationship between river size and bank mobility and find uncertainty in the global applicability of more recent theories of the hierarchy of scaling relationships. In the second chapter, I develop an open-source turbidity sensor that allows us to monitor watersheds at a scale that would not be cost-effective with commercial sensors. In the third and final chapter, I combine new algorithms for estimating river discharge and suspended sediment concentration, the sensor developed in chapter two, and existing models to evaluate our ability to use remote sensing to estimate the suspended sediment flux of an Arctic river. What connects these chapters is an overall advancement of our ability to use remote sensing data and techniques to measure the transport and storage of sediment through rivers. Doctor of Philosophy |
|---|