- 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).
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
Publication File
Type of Publication
Geophysical Research Letters
Year of Publication
2025