Author(s): Ralph T. Cheng; John E. Costa; Robert R. Mason; William J. Plant; Jeffrey W. Gartner; Kurt Spicer; F. P. Haeni; Nick Melcher
Linked Author(s):
Keywords: Streamgaging; Non-contact river discharge; Rad
Abstract: The U. S. Geological Survey began a bold project to develop new methods that might have the potential to change the paradigm in streamflow methodologies. The concept of a non-contact river discharge measurement system based on radar technologies was proposed and successfully demonstrated at the Skagit River, WA in 1999. Since the initial experiment, the U. S. Geological Survey has made significant progress towards the development of a radar-based, non-contact system to directly measure river discharge and provide results to users at near real-time. The proposed approach has the potential to provide continuous measurement of stream velocity during floods by non-contact or remote sensing where traditional methods often fail. This paper reports the results of an extended experiment testing the concept of continuous discharge measurements on the San Joaquin River at Vernalis, CA that took place in April 15–May 17,2002. The radar-measured discharges compare favorably with discharges determined by other methods. These results suggest that the accuracy of river discharge measured by the non-contact approach is comparable to conventional methods. The advantages of the non-contact method are discussed in the conclusion. As the non-contact radar system evolves from a research tool to a practical system, further testing the continuous field application is recommended.
Year: 2004