Articles | Volume 22, issue 11
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-5987-2018
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-5987-2018
Technical note
 | 
22 Nov 2018
Technical note |  | 22 Nov 2018

Technical note: Mapping surface-saturation dynamics with thermal infrared imagery

Barbara Glaser, Marta Antonelli, Marco Chini, Laurent Pfister, and Julian Klaus

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Revised manuscript accepted for HESS
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Cited articles

Ala-aho, P., Rossi, P. M., Isokangas, E., and Kløve, B.: Fully integrated surface–subsurface flow modelling of groundwater–lake interaction in an esker aquifer: Model verification with stable isotopes and airborne thermal imaging, J. Hydrol., 522, 391–406, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2014.12.054, 2015. 
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de Alwis, D. A., Easton, Z. M., Dahlke, H. E., Philpot, W. D., and Steenhuis, T. S.: Unsupervised classification of saturated areas using a time series of remotely sensed images, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 11, 1609–1620, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-11-1609-2007, 2007. 
Ambroise, B.: Variable “active” versus “contributing” areas or periods: a necessary distinction, Hydrol. Process., 18, 1149–1155, https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.5536, 2004. 
Antonelli, M., Klaus, J., Smettem, K., Teuling, A. J., and Pfister, L.: Exploring streamwater mixing dynamics via handheld thermal infrared imagery, Water, 9, 358, https://doi.org/10.3390/w9050358, 2017. 
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Short summary
We demonstrate how thermal infrared images can be used for mapping the appearance and disappearance of water at the surface. The use of thermal infrared images allows for mapping this appearance and disappearance for various temporal and spatial resolutions, and the images can be understood intuitively. We explain the necessary steps in detail, from image acquisition to final processing, by relying on image examples and experience from an 18-month mapping campaign.
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