In this study, we used a Bayesian mixture model (BMM) to monitor water surface areas and estimate water levels in Yeongcheon Dam through Sentinel-1 synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery. Reservoirs serve vital functions such as flood control, drought mitigation, and ecosystem support, highlighting the importance of precise monitoring of their water surface and level variations, especially in the context of climate change and increased human impact. The BMM method was employed to accurately delineate water boundaries, benefiting from SAR’s capability to capture data regardless of weather conditions. Regression analysis was conducted between the extracted water surface area and observed water levels to create a predictive model, yielding a highly accurate equation with an R2 core of 0.981 on the test set. This result indicates a strong correlation between water surface area and water level, affirming the model’s reliability in estimating water levels based solely on surface area data. One of the key findings of this study is that even with a 10 m spatial resolution, reliable water level inferences can be made using water surface area as a proxy. The mean absolute error values obtained validate the model’s capability to monitor water level fluctuations with a satisfactory degree of accuracy. Despite limitations in detecting narrow tributaries or other small-scale features due to SAR resolution, the model performs well overall in monitoring broad water bodies. These findings underscore the potential of Sentinel-1 SAR data for effective reservoir monitoring, especially where real-time water level data may be lacking. For future research, higher-resolution data or complementary algorithms may further enhance detection accuracy for smaller and more complex water features, contributing to more refined water resource management strategies.
Due to the recent anomalous climatic conditions, the mean summer temperature in Korea for the current year reached 25.6°C, marking the highest temperature recorded since 1973. Concurrently, the incidence of large-scale green algal blooms has escalated beyond the typical frequency in the four principal river systems. The Ministry of Environment has instituted a water quality monitoring network aimed at gathering data pertinent to water quality assessment and regulatory measures; however, the reliance on discrete point data imposes constraints on comprehending the spatial distribution and proliferation of green algae. Techniques for remote monitoring of green algae utilizing satellite imagery may serve as an alternative or complementary resource to conventional point-based water quality assessments. In the present study, we devised and critically assessed an algorithm for the remote estimation of freshwater chlorophyll-a concentrations through the analysis of Sentinel-2 satellite data. Given the challenges associated with field data collection, the GLORIA dataset was employed, and three variations of the CatBoost algorithm were developed based on different input variables, with their effectiveness concerning Sentinel-2 satellite data subjected to evaluation. Among the three algorithms, the variant that was trained utilizing variables such as band ratio and spectral shape was contrasted with 76 field measurements of surface chlorophyll-a, demonstrating a commendable accuracy with an R value of 0.79, root mean square error of 10.1 mg/m3 when applied to the GLORIA dataset. The chlorophyll-a quantification algorithm predicated on Sentinel-2 satellite data, which was developed in this study, holds the potential to be utilized effectively for collaborative management and responsive measures regarding green algae by providing objective insights into the prevalence of green algae across extensive areas, temporal trends, and localized hotspots.
For the spatiotemporal analysis of water resources and disasters, water body detection using satellite imagery is crucial. Recently, AI-based methods have been widely employed in water body detection using satellite imagery. To use these AI techniques, a substantial amount of training data is required. When creating training data for water body detection, optical imagery and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery have their respective strengths and weaknesses. To use the advantages of both, this study proposes a water body detection method through the fusion of optical and SAR imagery. The results of the proposed model show an Intersection over Union of 0.612 and an F1 score of 0.759, which is better compared to using either optical or SAR imagery alone. This research presents a method that can easily generate a large amount of water body data, making it promising for use as AI training data for water body detection.
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A Comprehensive Review of Remote Sensing for Water-Related Disaster Management in South Korea: Focus on Floods and Droughts Eui-Ho Hwang, Jin-Gyeom Kim, Jang-Yong Sung, Ki-Mook Kang Korean Journal of Remote Sensing.2024; 40(5-2): 833. CrossRef
Equivalent rainfall refers to the amount of precipitation required to reach a specific water level from the current water level in a reservoir. It serves as a flood forecasting and warning system that allows for the rapid assessment of the reservoir’s maximum water level at the moment of rainfall forecast. In reservoirs where terrain and survey data can be obtained, deriving equivalent rainfall is not difficult. However, without terrain data, satellite imagery and global topographic data are the only available options. In this study, high-resolution topographic data based on satellites were utilized to estimate the equivalent rainfall in the ungauged reservoir, Hwanggang Dam, located in the upper stream of the Imjin River in North Korea. To calculate the inflow into the reservoir, the Natural Resources Conservation Service-Curve Number method was used to determine the effective rainfall, taking into account the antecedent conditions, as the inflow into the reservoir can be changed for the same amount of rainfall depending on the soil moisture content of the watershed.
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A Study on the Rainfall-Storage Volume-Target Water Level Curve for Flood Control on the Small Size Dam: Case study for Goesan Dam Soojun Kim, Jaewon Kwak, Hui-Seong Noh, Narae Kang, Seokhwan Hwang Journal of the Korean Society of Hazard Mitigation.2024; 24(2): 105. CrossRef
The increase in water-related disasters due to climate change has a significant impact on the stability of water resource facilities. The displacement of a water resource facility is one of the important indicators to evaluate the stability of the facility. In this study, the time-series displacement of the Yongdam Dam was constructed by applying the persistent scatter interferometric synthetic aperture radar (PSInSAR) technique to the Sentinel-1 C-band SAR images. A sufficient number of persistent scatterers were derived to enable local deformation monitoring of the Yongdam Dam, and the dam showed very small displacement velocity except during the heavy rainfall in August 2020. In the future, C-band SAR imagery from the water resources satellite (Next Generation Medium Satellite 5) is expected to provide accurate displacement data for water resource facilities.