This page has only limited features, please log in for full access.
The Chobe River Basin (CRB), a sub-basin of the Upper Zambezi Basin shared by Namibia and Botswana, is a complex hydrologic system that lies at the center of the world’s largest transfrontier conservation area. Despite its regional importance for livelihoods and biodiversity, its hydrology, controlled by the timing and relative contributions of water from two regional rivers, remains poorly understood. An increase in the magnitude of flooding in this region since 2009 has resulted in significant displacements of rural communities. We use an innovative approach that employs time-series of thermal imagery and station discharge data to model seasonal flooding patterns, identify the driving forces that control the magnitude of flooding and the high population density areas that are most at risk of high magnitude floods throughout the watershed. Spatio-temporal changes in surface inundation determined using NASA Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) thermal imagery (2000–2015) revealed that flooding extent in the CRB is extremely variable, ranging from 401 km2 to 5779 km2 over the last 15 years. A multiple regression model of lagged discharge of surface contributor basins and flooding extent in the CRB indicated that the best predictor of flooding in this region is the discharge of the Zambezi River 64 days prior to flooding. The seasonal floods have increased drastically in magnitude since 2008 causing large populations to be displaced. Over 46,000 people (53% of Zambezi Region population) are living in high magnitude flood risk areas, making the need for resettlement planning and mitigation strategies increasingly important.
Jeri J. Burke; Narcisa G. Pricope; James Blum. Thermal Imagery-Derived Surface Inundation Modeling to Assess Flood Risk in a Flood-Pulsed Savannah Watershed in Botswana and Namibia. Remote Sensing 2016, 8, 676 .
AMA StyleJeri J. Burke, Narcisa G. Pricope, James Blum. Thermal Imagery-Derived Surface Inundation Modeling to Assess Flood Risk in a Flood-Pulsed Savannah Watershed in Botswana and Namibia. Remote Sensing. 2016; 8 (8):676.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJeri J. Burke; Narcisa G. Pricope; James Blum. 2016. "Thermal Imagery-Derived Surface Inundation Modeling to Assess Flood Risk in a Flood-Pulsed Savannah Watershed in Botswana and Namibia." Remote Sensing 8, no. 8: 676.
Though wetlands are recognized for their wide range of ecosystem services, the sustainable management of wetlands is hindered by a lack of data, especially in large transnational river systems in less-developed countries. The Sudd wetland of South Sudan is the largest freshwater wetland on the Nile River and supports transhumant pastoral cultures and wildlife migrations; yet, it is understudied in terms of its regional hydrologic controls and corresponding changes in land cover. To assess the use of remote data derived from remote sensing systems, the wetland extent between 2000 and 2014 was delineated using MODIS thermal infrared data and baseline changes in the wetland land cover extents were mapped using NDVI products. The upper White Nile basin was subdivided into seven natural sub-basins and correlations between sub-basin precipitation amounts and wetland extents were determined. Areas of high spatial variability in land cover were related to the spatial distribution of conflict in South Sudan. Results indicate that downstream sub-basins, which have largely been ignored, display high correlations (0.58–0.74) with the wetland extent and appear to be major sources of water for the wetland. Precipitation patterns in the Lake Kyoga sub-basin, instead of the neighboring torrent sub-basin that has previously been cited, correspond to inter-annual changes in wetland extents. Land cover transitions in years of reduced flow amounts varied depending upon the precipitation in upstream and downstream sub-basins. Because the downstream sub-basins appear to have a higher influence than previously anticipated, a reduction in water from the upstream sub-basins didn't necessarily lead to a reduced wetland extent. The most highly variable regions of land cover changes correspond not only to locations of conflict, but also to ethnic boundary lines. Though the conflict in this region makes in-situ data collection difficult, the conflict only increases the need for scientific assessments in order to predict changes in ecosystem services.
Amelia Sosnowski; Eman Ghoneim; Jeri J. Burke; Elizabeth Hines; Joanne Halls. Remote regions, remote data: A spatial investigation of precipitation, dynamic land covers, and conflict in the Sudd wetland of South Sudan. Applied Geography 2016, 69, 51 -64.
AMA StyleAmelia Sosnowski, Eman Ghoneim, Jeri J. Burke, Elizabeth Hines, Joanne Halls. Remote regions, remote data: A spatial investigation of precipitation, dynamic land covers, and conflict in the Sudd wetland of South Sudan. Applied Geography. 2016; 69 ():51-64.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAmelia Sosnowski; Eman Ghoneim; Jeri J. Burke; Elizabeth Hines; Joanne Halls. 2016. "Remote regions, remote data: A spatial investigation of precipitation, dynamic land covers, and conflict in the Sudd wetland of South Sudan." Applied Geography 69, no. : 51-64.