Researchers from the University of California, Irvine have discovered a way to predict floods and their direction of movement by using data from NASA's Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) twin satellites.
J.T Reager, lead author of the study and postdoctoral researcher at UC Irvine, worked with his colleagues to gauge measurements of the Missouri River GRACE logged prior to a massive flood in 2011. The satellite could predict how likely it would be for a river to discharge high amounts of water at least five months in advance. Aside from the satellite data, experts also used earlier measurements of snow water and soil moisture to make a prognosis.
"Case studies of the catastrophic Missouri River floods of 2011 show that flood-potential early warning times could be increased by a couple of seasons using these satellite data," said co-author Jay Famiglietti, in a news release. Famigletti is a senior scientist at JPL headquarters, located at Pasadena, Calif.
NASA's twin satellites also enabled scientists to measure the geometric shape of the river, as well as the monthly variations of its water content. Ph levels can be measured by monitoring the changes of the Earth's gravitational pull. The team found out that as the amount of water increases, the gravitational pull for that area also increases. The changes in gravitational pull can be detected by these satellites.
Measurements made by GRACE can also detect changes in soil moisture and aquifers. Groundwater that becomes saturated can indicate an increase or decrease of the water's availability.
Analysts at UCI believed their findings would be useful not only in predicting floods but also for making drought projections.
"If you're not paying attention to these very predictable trends, you're missing a great opportunity to prepare a region for flooding or drought," Famiglietti added.
Further details of this study were published in the July 14 issue of Nature Geoscience.
