Principles and application cases of runoff monitoring technology based on remote sensing hydrological stations

LOU Hezhen; SUN Gaohu; YANG Shengtian; SONG Wenlong; TANG Yaoying

doi:10.3969/j.issn.1000-1123.2025.15.006

Abstract：River discharge data are essential for water resources management,hydrological research,and flood and drought disaster mitigation.Hydrological station monitoring and patrol-based hydrological measurements are typical methods for acquiring runoff data.However,the safety of hydrological stations is increasingly threatened by extreme rainstorms caused by climate change,and traditional patrol-based measurement methods are no longer sufficient to meet the management needs of large-scale,rapid,and high-frequency runoff monitoring.Therefore,new technical approaches are urgently required to address these challenges.In recent years,the continuous development of remote sensing runoff monitoring technology has offered promising solutions.Focusing on a domestically developed remote sensing hydrological station technology,this study elaborates on its underlying principles and algorithms,and presents six representative application cases in areas such as water resources monitoring in ungauged regions,flood and drought disaster mitigation in river basins,and ecological protection.A comparative analysis is also conducted with related international technologies,and three future development directions for remote sensing hydrological stations are proposed.This study clarifies the current status,development trends,and structural components of both global and domestic remote sensing runoff monitoring technologies,providing technical support for enhancing the safety of hydrological stations under extreme weather conditions and addressing the challenges of patrol-based measurements.It also offers new methodologies and data-sharing platforms for interdisciplinary research and applications involving hydrological data.