Matthew Bonnema

• Doctor of Philosophy
• PostDoc Position at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Plain Language Summary Climate change and human activity are dramatically reshaping how water is distributed on Earth. Both new measurements and data products are needed to understand and effectively respond to changes in water availability today and in the future. These needs are being met by a new satellite, the Surface Water and Topography (SWOT...

Merging observations from multiple satellites is necessary to ensure that extreme hydrological events are consistently observed. Here, we evaluate the potential improvements to flood detectability afforded by combining data collected globally by Landsat, Sentinel-2, and Sentinel-1. The enhanced temporal sampling increased the number of floods with...

The goal in this commentary is to share the development of the NASA Applied Science pre‐launch protocol called the Early Adopter Program (EAP) that is designed to build user‐readiness of planned satellite Earth observing missions proactively and before the launch. Here we focus in particular on the Surface Water and Ocean Topography satellite missi...

Dam construction in developing nations is on the rise. Monitoring these dams is essential to understanding downstream hydrologic impacts and for better planning and management of water resources. Satellite observations and advancements in information technology now present a unique opportunity to overcome the traditional limitations of reservoir mo...

A computationally efficient early warning technique is developed for forecasting flash floods during the pre-monsoon season that are associated with a complex topography and transboundary runoff in northeastern Bangladesh. Locally conditioned topographic and hydrometeorological observations are key forcings to the modeling system that simulate the...

Despite efforts to understand the hydrologic impact of hydropower dams, their influence on downstream river temperatures has gone unnoticed in data limited regions. Using 30 years of Landsat thermal infrared observations (1988–2018), we identified a relationship between dry season water temperature cooling trends and dam development in the 3S Basin...

Tonle Sap Lake in Cambodia is arguably the world's most productive freshwater ecosystems, as well as the dominant source of animal protein for the country. The rapid rise of hydropower schemes, deforestation, land development and climate change impacts in the Mekong River Basin, however, now represent serious concerns in regard to Tonle Sap Lake's...

This paper presents methods of monitoring river basin development and water variability for the transboundary river in North and South Korea. River basin development, such as dams and water infrastructure in transboundary rivers, can be a potential factor of tensions between upstream and downstream countries since dams constructed upstream can adve...

This paper presents methods of monitoring river basin development and water variability for the transboundary river in North and South Korea. River basin development, such as dams and water infrastructure in transboundary rivers, can be a potential factor of tensions between upstream and downstream countries since dams constructed upstream can adve...

With so many eyes in the sky, residents living downstream from dams now have many ways to see—and prepare for—potential dangers.

The planned Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission, scheduled to launch in 2021, is designed to significantly improve on current lake and reservoir remote monitoring capacity. These improvements are especially important for the Mekong River Basin (MRB), where rapid dam construction puts downstream food security at risk and upstream dam o...

A new approach is proposed in this study to maximize the skill of satellite altimeter-derived heights by utilizing river extent information from additional sensors. We apply this approach for JASON-3 nadir altimeter. First, locations were identified in South and South East Asia region as potential candidates for this approach based on river extent....

Currently there are 30 large dams in the Mekong River Basin (MRB), three of which are located on the main stem of the Mekong River in China. Understanding the impacts of these dams on the altered water availability on the MRB is therefore timely and essential for water management. In this article we present two critical aspects to water management...

This study explores the operating pattern of artificial reservoirs by examining their impact on streamflow through two parameters, residence time and flow alteration, using a purely satellite based technique for the Mekong Basin. Overall residence times of individual reservoirs ranged from 0.09 years to 4.04 years, while streamflow was altered betw...

Growing population and increased demand for water is causing an increase in dam and reservoir construction in developing nations. When rivers cross international boundaries, the downstream stakeholders often have little knowledge of upstream reservoir operation practices. Satellite remote sensing in the form of radar altimetry and multisensor preci...

The objective of this study is to compare the effectiveness of three algorithms that estimate discharge from remotely sensed observables (river width, water surface height, and water surface slope) in anticipation of the forthcoming NASA/CNES Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission. SWOT promises to provide these measurements simultaneous...