Smaller Projects

Alessandro Battaglia - GPM

The Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) satellite programme will use radiometers to provide increased spatial resolution and frequency diversity for measuring precipitation rates and distributions. This research avenue focuses towards the long-term monitoring of the partitioning of total liquid water content into cloud and rain water, a very uncertain assumption in all current passive microwave retrievals particularly for mid and high latitudes.

Hartmut Boesch - Investigation of the Capability to Inter Boundary Layer Water Vapour Over Land from Space-Based High Resolution SWIR Observations

The overall aim of this proposal is to make a quantitative assessment of the capability of high-resolution shortwave infrared (SWIR) observations to observe planetary boundary layer (PBL) water vapour over land. This could lead to a novel dataset for studies of the hydrological cycle and boundary layer processes using the GOSAT satellite.

Graham Ferrier - Advancing Understanding of Volcanic Processes and Hazards using an Integrated EO Approach

The aim of this project is to investigate the ability EO data to enhance our knowledge of the underlying processes influencing the location, nature and severity of volcanic and tectonic activity. A field campaign to Milos is supported, demonstrating the importance of remotely mapping a number of variables as a means of enhancing the monitoring of volcanic hazards and identifying natural resources.

Chris Kilsby - Ungauged Basins: River Discharge from Remote Sensing

The aim of this research is to demonstrate that parameters required for discharge estimation can be inferred from EO data. This is vital as the availability of in situ gauge data has declined and EO data provides the only way of monitoring discharge and its variability in ungauged catchments. The NASA Surface Water Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission and NERC's investment in EO through the ESA ERS/ENVISAT and Sentinel 3 recognise the potential for stage/width measurements from space.

Guy Schuman - Global Scale Water Stages from Space Imagery to Support Global Flood Forecasting

The objective of this project is to develop an algorithm and establish the quality requirement for a global scale application of coarser, but more frequent, radar imagery for assimilation into a large scale flood forecasting model. This will be investigated using the Tewkesbury test site and will support planned satellite missions targeted at monitoring hydrological change, such as SWOT and SENTINEL-1.

Natascha Kljun - Use of LiDAR Data to Improve Quantification of Changes in Terrestrial Carbon Sinks

The project develops a novel approach to quantify the impact of disturbances on terrestrial carbon sinks using a unique dataset that combines spaceborne and airborne LiDAR, aerial spectral photography, eddycovariance measurements from a flux tower, and ecological data from the tower area.The forest surrounding the flux tower site 'Tumbarumba' in New South Wales, Australia is being harvested. Tumbarumba is an established (10 yrs) site, for which detailed understanding of ecological processes exists. The selective logging provides an unprecedented opportunity to analyse the impact of disturbance on carbon and water budgets of a forest. Funding has been used to collect time-critical remote sensing data prior to harvesting.