Applications of remote sensing techniques to hydrologic research in Sub-Saharan Africa, with a special focus on the Congo basin
Abstract
Satellites have the advantage over in situ measurements of better spatial coverage over large areas, but can also be prone to errors and inhomogeneities while being subject to changing retrieval algorithms. Nonetheless, remote sensing can provide data for each component in the hydrological cycle. This is of particular relevance in areas that are largely ungauged, such as large parts of Africa, in particular the Congo River Basin. For the Congo Basin in particular, many hypotheses remain unanswered, primarily because of a lack of spatially distributed measurements of the major hydrological variables. Therefore, this chapter provides a comprehensive review of the type of data remote sensing can provide for each component of the hydrological cycle (precipitation, storage, evaporation, and runoff) as well as describes its use in the study of river hydraulic parameters and floodplain hydrodynamics. Numerous applications to hydrologic research will be given with reference to Sub-Saharan Africa, and a special focus on the Congo Basin. Limitations will be discussed in relation to the current understanding and knowledge gap of the Congo hydrology.
