Remotely sensed rivers in the Anthropocene: state of the art and prospects

• Published in: Earth surface processes and landforms Vol. 45; no. 1; pp. 157 - 188
• Main Authors: Piégay, Hervé, Arnaud, Fanny, Belletti, Barbara, Bertrand, Mélanie, Bizzi, Simone, Carbonneau, Patrice, Dufour, Simon, Liébault, Frédéric, Ruiz‐Villanueva, Virginia, Slater, Louise
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bognor Regis Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.01.2020; Wiley
• Subjects: Anthropocene; biogeomorphology; Catchment scale; channel changes; Computer simulation; Detection; Environmental monitoring; fluvial geomorphology; Fluvial sediments; Geography; GIS, drone; grain size: fluvial corridor; Humanities and Social Sciences; Landforms; Remote sensing; Resource management; riparian vegetation; River management; River networks; Rivers; Scale models; sediment transport modelling; Trajectory analysis; Watersheds; GIS; sediment transport modelling; grain size; riparian vegetation; fluvial geomorphology; OHM, Vallée du Rhône, ZABR; remote sensing; biogeomorphology; channel changes; fluvial corridor; drone
• ISSN: 0197-9337; 1096-9837
• DOI: 10.1002/esp.4787

ABSTRACT The rivers of the world are undergoing accelerated change in the Anthropocene, and need to be managed at much broader spatial and temporal scales than before. Fluvial remote sensing now offers a technical and methodological framework that can be deployed to monitor the processes at work and to assess the trajectories of rivers in the Anthropocene. In this paper, we review research investigating past, present and future fluvial corridor conditions and processes using remote sensing and we consider emerging challenges facing fluvial and riparian research. We introduce a suite of remote sensing methods designed to diagnose river changes at reach to regional scales. We then focus on identification of channel patterns and acting processes from satellite, airborne or ground acquisitions. These techniques range from grain scales to landform scales, and from real time scales to inter‐annual scales. We discuss how remote sensing data can now be coupled to catchment scale models that simulate sediment transfer within connected river networks. We also consider future opportunities in terms of datasets and other resources which are likely to impact river management and monitoring at the global scale. We conclude with a summary of challenges and prospects for remotely sensed rivers in the Anthropocene. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.