Quantifying Flow Velocities in River Deltas via Remotely Sensed Suspended Sediment Concentration

Donatelli, Carmine; Passalacqua, Paola; Wright, Kyle; Salter, Gerard; Lamb, Michael P.; Jensen, Daniel; Fagherazzi, Sergio

doi:10.1029/2022gl101392

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 49 publications

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“…Recently, remote sensing has been utilized to fill this data gap (e.g., Ayoub et al., 2018; Cathcart et al., 2020; Donatelli et al., 2023; Liao & Jiang, 2020; Wiberg et al., 2020). Airborne and spaceborne radars can perform multiple flights over the same region, allowing them to detect changes in sub‐canopy water levels at a very high spatial resolution (5–10 m) (e.g., Oliver‐Cabrera & Wdowinski, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial Variability in Salt Marsh Drainage Controlled by Small Scale Topography

Donatelli,

Passalacqua,

Jensen

et al. 2023

JGR Earth Surface

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Water movement in coastal wetlands is affected by spatial differences in topography and vegetation characteristics as well as by complex hydrological processes operating at different time scales. Traditionally, numerical models have been used to explore the hydrodynamics of these valuable ecosystems. However, we still do not know how well such models simulate water‐level fluctuations beneath the vegetation canopy since we lack extensive field data to test the model results against observations. This study utilizes remotely sensed images of sub‐canopy water‐level change to understand how marshes drain water during falling tides. We employ rapid repeat interferometric observations from the NASA's Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar instrument to analyze the spatial variability in water‐level change within a complex of marshes in Terrebonne Bay, Louisiana. We also used maps of herbaceous aboveground biomass derived from the Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer‐Next Generation to evaluate vegetation contribution to such variability. This study reveals that the distribution of water‐level change under salt marsh canopies is strongly influenced by the presence of small geomorphic features (<10 m) in the marsh landscape (i.e., levees, tidal channels), whereas vegetation plays a minor role in retaining water on the platform. This new type of high‐resolution remote sensing data offers the opportunity to study the feedback between hydrodynamics, topography and biology throughout wetlands at an unprecedented spatial resolution and test the capability of numerical models to reproduce such patterns. Our results are essential for predicting the vulnerability of these delicate environments to climate change.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial Variability in Salt Marsh Drainage Controlled by Small Scale Topography

Donatelli,

Passalacqua,

Jensen

et al. 2023

JGR Earth Surface

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Coupling numerical models of deltaic wetlands with AirSWOT, UAVSAR, and AVIRIS-NG remote sensing data

Cortese,

Donatelli,

Zhang

et al. 2024

Biogeosciences

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Abstract. Coastal marsh survival relies on the ability to increase elevation and offset sea level rise. It is therefore important to realistically model sediment fluxes between marshes, tidal channels, and bays as sediment availability controls accretion. Traditionally, numerical models have been calibrated and validated using in situ measurements at a few locations within the domain of interest. These datasets typically provide temporal information but lack spatial variability. This paper explores the potential of coupling numerical models with high-resolution remote sensing imagery. Products from three sensors from the NASA Delta-X airborne mission are used. Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar (UAVSAR) provides vertical water level change on the marshland and was used to adjust the bathymetry and calibrate water fluxes over the marsh. AirSWOT yields water surface elevation within bays, lakes, and channels, and was used to calibrate the Chezy bottom friction coefficient. Finally, imagery from AVIRIS-NG provides maps of total suspended solids (TSS) concentration that were used to calibrate sediment parameters of settling velocity and critical shear stress for erosion. Three numerical models were developed at different locations along coastal Louisiana using Delft3D. The coupling enabled a spatial evaluation of model performance that was not possible using simple point measurements. Overall, the study shows that calibration of numerical models and their general performance will greatly benefit from remote sensing.

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Quantifying Flow Velocities in River Deltas via Remotely Sensed Suspended Sediment Concentration

Cited by 2 publications

References 49 publications

Spatial Variability in Salt Marsh Drainage Controlled by Small Scale Topography

Spatial Variability in Salt Marsh Drainage Controlled by Small Scale Topography

Coupling numerical models of deltaic wetlands with AirSWOT, UAVSAR, and AVIRIS-NG remote sensing data

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