Prospects for operational remote sensing of surface water

The major surface storages of liquid water in the land phase of the hydrological cycle comprise channel storage in lakes and rivers including ephemeral streams, overbank storage on floodplains, and soil moisture. Many workers have investigated the capacity, contents and behaviour of these storages using remote sensing techniques. These, despite problems of sampling frequency and spatial resolution, can yield useful information especially in the field of hazard monitoring. Of equal importance, however, is their indirect use for assessing landcover, information on which is commonly required for hydrological modelling.