Watershed Allied Telemetry Experimental Research

TLDR

describe the experimental design: location, experiments, observation periods, airborne missions, sensors, satellite data, ground measurements at multiple scales, and development of retrieval models and assimilation system. Let's craft: "WATER was conducted in the Heihe River Basin and comprised cold‑region, forest, and arid‑region hydrological experiments plus a hydrometeorology experiment, with 120 days of intensive observation across 25 airborne missions using microwave radiometers, imaging spectrometers, thermal imagers, CCD, lidar, satellite data, and ground‑based instruments at four spatial scales, all to support development of water‑cycle retrieval models and a catchment‑scale data assimilation system." Need to keep one sentence.

Abstract

The Watershed Allied Telemetry Experimental Research (WATER) is a simultaneous airborne, satellite‐borne, and ground‐based remote sensing experiment aiming to improve the observability, understanding, and predictability of hydrological and related ecological processes at a catchment scale. WATER consists of the cold region, forest, and arid region hydrological experiments as well as a hydrometeorology experiment and took place in the Heihe River Basin, a typical inland river basin in the northwest of China. The field campaigns have been completed, with an intensive observation period lasting from 7 March to 12 April, from 15 May to 22 July, and from 23 August to 5 September 2008: in total, 120 days. Twenty‐five airborne missions were flown. Airborne sensors including microwave radiometers at L, K, and Ka bands, imaging spectrometer, thermal imager, CCD, and lidar were used. Various satellite data were collected. Ground measurements were carried out at four scales, that is, key experimental area, foci experimental area, experiment site, and elementary sampling plot, using ground‐based remote sensing instruments, densified network of automatic meteorological stations, flux towers, and hydrological stations. On the basis of these measurements, the remote sensing retrieval models and algorithms of water cycle variables are to be developed or improved, and a catchment‐scale land/hydrological data assimilation system is being developed. This paper reviews the background, scientific objectives, experiment design, filed campaign implementation, and current status of WATER. The analysis of the data will continue over the next 2 years, and limited revisits to the field are anticipated.