College of Forestry

Watershed Processes Group

Remote sensing of river discharge based on critical flow theory

  • Standing waves in rivers indicate unique hydraulic conditions that allow depth and velocity to be inferred from the spacing of the waves.
  • Critical flow theory can be used to calculate discharge based on measurements of wavelength and width made using readily available images.
  • Discharges estimated via the critical flow approach for 82 images agreed closely with discharges recorded at gaging stations (R2 = 0.98).
     
Authors
Legleiter, C., Grant, G., Bae, I., Fasth, B., Yager, E., White, D., Hempel, L., Harlan, M., Leonard, C., & Dudley, R.
Citation

Legleiter, C. J., Grant, G., Bae, I., Fasth, B., Yager, E., White, D. C., Hempel, L., Harlan, M. E., Leonard, C., & Dudley, R. (2025). Remote Sensing of River Discharge Based on Critical Flow Theory. Geophysical Research Letters, 52(9), e2025GL114851. https://doi.org/10.1029/2025GL114851

DOI Link
https://doi.org/10.1029/2025GL114851
Publication File
Geophysical Research Letters - 2025 - Legleiter - Remote Sensing of River Discharge Based on Critical Flow Theory.pdf
Type of Publication
Geophysical Research Letters
Year of Publication
2025