THE APPLICATION OF REMOTE SENSING TECHNIQUES IN HYDROLOGY

Blyth, Kenneth (1980). THE APPLICATION OF REMOTE SENSING TECHNIQUES IN HYDROLOGY. BPhil thesis The Open University.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.21954/ou.ro.0000f748

Abstract

REMOTE SENSING, which may be simplistically defined as ’the collection and interpretation of emitted or reflected radiation from a body’, offers the potential for accurate interpolation of surface data and even for its direct measurement on scales ranging from local to world wide.

This dissertation has been written primarily for the hydrologist, engineer, environmentalist or student who needs to measure changes either in space or time of hydrological variables such as water quality, but who has little practical knowledge of remote sensing or how it may be of assistance to him. It may be regarded as a reference document which, as a result of internal cross referencing and comprehensive external subject referencing, should enable the reader to acquire a background knowledge of remote sensing theory which is relevant to his interests, to understand the advantages and difficulties of applying remote sensing techniques to his measurement problem and to obtain further information about remote sensing applications which have already been undertaken within his field of interest.

The dissertation centres on the hydrological situation in England and Wales by initially outlining the structure of their water industries. The main hydrological measurement objectives in terms of water resources, water supply, effluent disposal and flood prediction and warning are identified and some advantages of incorporating remote sensing into hydrological measurement programmes are suggested. The physical theory of remote sensing is described and the main methods of collecting and analysing remotely sensed data are given. A topic by topic analysis of the most suitable ways of tackling specific hydrological measurement problems through the use of remote sensing is made and the dissertation concludes with an assessment of the likely future use of remote sensing in hydrological measurement programmes in general