Desert Research Institute Researchers Reveal New Findings on Flood Risk Management (Assessing Causes and Consequences of Winter Surface Water Dynamics in California’s Central Valley Using Satellite Remote Sensing): Risk Management – Flood Risk Management

Insurance Daily News

2025 JUL 16 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- Research findings on flood risk management are discussed in a new report. According to news reporting originating from the Desert Research Institute by NewsRx correspondents, research stated, “ABSTRACT California’s Central Valley is increasingly vulnerable to winter floods. A comprehensive spatial baseline of flood extents is critical for inundation analyses that can enhance future flood predictions, but cloud cover has prevented the regular observation of surface water extents with optical satellite imagery.”

Funders for this research include U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; U.S. Geological Survey.

The news journalists obtained a quote from the research from Desert Research Institute: “In this study, we leveraged the daily resolution of Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite data to create a continuous series of monthly Dynamic Surface Water Extent (DSWEmod) images across the Central Valley from January 2003 to January 2023. We used the timeseries to assess the climatic driving forces of winter (Oct-April) surface water variability at sub-basin and pixel scales. At the sub-basin scale, we evaluated the influences of winter precipitation, occurrence of atmospheric rivers, and antecedent soil moisture on monthly surface water extents and found that the greatest correspondence occurs in mid-winter (Dec-Feb); in contrast, non-precipitation drivers such as water management play a stronger role in autumn and spring. The pixel-level analysis identified the probabilities of precipitation-driven surface water occurrences in the Sacramento basin are highest along rivers, conveyance channels, and floodways, with higher probabilities under wetter antecedent soil moisture conditions. Precipitation-driven surface water occurrences are also common in leveed areas and outside flood boundaries designated by state and federal agencies where exposure of structures to inundation was larger in terms of their value. Finally, areas with more frequent precipitation-driven flooding have poor recharge potential but are commonly within 5 km of areas classified as having good potential.”

According to the news reporters, the research concluded: “This study demonstrates a novel approach for exploring the utility of MODIS for understanding surface water dynamics in mid-winter, a period characterized by peak precipitation, flood risk, and surface water extent. This information can provide valuable insights for (1) assessing flood risks for infrastructure and populations, (2) identifying areas most suited to strategic water management investments to increase recharge, and (3) analyzing precipitation thresholds that trigger flooding to allow proactive water management strategies to minimize damage and maximize recharge.”

For more information on this research see: Assessing Causes and Consequences of Winter Surface Water Dynamics in California’s Central Valley Using Satellite Remote Sensing. Journal of Flood Risk Management, 2025,18(2):n/a-n/a. The publisher for Journal of Flood Risk Management is Wiley.

A free version of this journal article is available at https://doi.org/10.1111/jfr3.70080.

Our news editors report that additional information may be obtained by contacting Christine M. Albano, Desert Research Institute Division of Hydrologic Sciences Reno Nevada, United States. Additional authors for this research include Christopher E. Soulard, Blake A. Minor, Jessica J. Walker, Britt W. Smith, Eric K. Waller, Michael D. Bartles, Thomas W. Corringham, Anthony T. O’Geen, Melissa M. Rohde, Anne M. Wein.