Chen et al. (2026) A hydraulic-geometry informed discharge retrieval algorithm for ungauged basins using ICESat-2 and Sentinel-1/2: Application to Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

Identification

• Journal: Remote Sensing of Environment
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-07-20
• Authors: Z L Chen, Yonghong Yi, Huimin Lei, Jijun Xu, Li Liu, Lachun Wang, Chongyu Xu
• DOI: 10.1016/j.rse.2026.115568

Research Groups

• School of Geography and Ocean Science, Nanjing University (China)
• College of Surveying and Geo-Informatics, Tongji University (China)
• State Key Laboratory of Hydroscience and Engineering, Department of Hydraulic Engineering, Tsinghua University (China)
• Changjiang River Scientific Research Institute (China)
• College of Water Conservancy and Hydropower Engineering, Sichuan Agricultural University (China)
• Department of Geosciences, University of Oslo (Norway)

Short Summary

This study presents a novel algorithm for estimating river discharge in ungauged basins using ICESat-2 altimetry and Sentinel-1/2 data. The Hydraulic-Geometry Informed Discharge Retrieval (HGIDR) algorithm shows substantial improvements over traditional methods, achieving high accuracy in daily discharge estimation.

Objective

• Develop a satellite-based algorithm for estimating river discharge in ungauged basins using ICESat-2 and Sentinel-1/2 data.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Regional (Qinghai-Tibet Plateau)
• Temporal Scale: Daily

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Hydraulic-Geometry Informed Discharge Retrieval (HGIDR) algorithm, Manning equation
• Data sources: ICESat-2 altimetry, Sentinel-1/2 data, in-situ discharge data

Main Results

• The HGIDR algorithm achieves a mean R2 of 0.87 ± 0.08, a Nash-Sutcliffe Efficiency (NSE) of 0.84 ± 0.10, and a Kling-Gupta Efficiency (KGE) of 0.86 ± 0.06 in daily discharge estimation.
• The algorithm shows substantial improvements over traditional width-discharge rating algorithms.

Contributions

• This study provides a novel solution for estimating river discharge in ungauged basins using satellite data, addressing the scarcity of hydrological data in regions like the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.
• The HGIDR algorithm demonstrates its potential for discharge estimation at finer spatiotemporal resolutions.

Funding

• This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 52109247), the Key Research and Development Program of Jiangsu Province (Grant No. BE2021053), and the Norwegian Research Council (Grant No. 262632).

Citation

@article{Chen2026hydraulicgeometry,
  author = {Chen, Z L and Yi, Yonghong and Lei, Huimin and Xu, Jijun and Liu, Li and Wang, Lachun and Xu, Chongyu},
  title = {A hydraulic-geometry informed discharge retrieval algorithm for ungauged basins using ICESat-2 and Sentinel-1/2: Application to Qinghai-Tibet Plateau},
  journal = {Remote Sensing of Environment},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1016/j.rse.2026.115568},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2026.115568}
}