DETECT-B01 Phase 1 extra year

Research Project, 2026 – 2027

Luciana Fenoglio was from 2022 to 2025 PI of sub-project B01-DETECT “Impact analysis of surface water level and discharge from the new generation altimetry observation” at the University of Bonn, Germany. B01-DETECT has been extended of 1-year, collaboration consists in PhD 1st supervisor, support for altimetry. Funding for travels is. granted. Phase 2 is not yet funded. 

B01 is a sub-project of the DFG-funded SFB CRC 1502/12022, see https://www.sfb1502.de and https://www.sfb1502.de/projects/cluster-b/b01. B01 monitors with space observations water height change and water exchange between rivers, lakes and reservoirs and the impact of natural and human distrurbances. Surface water level and river discharge are key observables of the water cycle and among the most sensible indicators that integrate long-term change within a river basin. The new generation of spaceborne altimeters includes Delay Doppler (e.g. Sentinel-3, Sentinel-6), laser (ICESAT) and bistatic SAR altimeter techniques (SWOT). The central hypothesis of B01 is that these new observations outperform conventional altimetry (CA) and in-situ measurements providing (a) surface water levels and discharge of higher accuracy and resolution (both spatial and temporal), (b) new additional parameters (river slope and width) and (c) better sampling for flood event detection and long term evolution evolution, providing valuable new information to the CRC. Phase 1 addresses two research questions: „How can we fully exploit the new missions to derive water level, discharge, and hydrodynamic river processes“ and „Can we separate natural variability from human water use“? For this, B01 monitors with space observations water height change and water exchange between rivers, lakes and reservoirs and the impact of natural and human disturbances. River discharge Q is the  primary product of B01, that is made available in the CRC modelling  and for assimilation in the IMS