Early in the morning on December 16, 2022, NASA launched a new satellite that will map and subsequently measure changes in virtually all of the Earth’s rivers, lakes and oceans. High-resolution imaging will even be able to measure changes in ocean currents and temperatures. Scientists will use the imaging capabilities to better understand flooding, droughts and coastal erosion. One said it will “revolutionize hydrology.”
About the Satellite and Orbit
The satellite will orbit more than 550 miles high. Nicknamed SWOT (Surface Water and Ocean Topography), the mission will cover the globe between the Arctic and Antarctica at least once every three weeks.
About the size of a SUV, the satellite will measure the height of water on more than 90% of Earth’s surface. It will enable scientists to track water flow and identify potential high-risk areas.
SWOT’s dual antennas at work. Image Credit: NASA.
The heart of the improvements is an innovative instrument called the Ka-band radar interferometer (KaRIn) – a major technological advance. KaRIn bounces radar pulses off the water’s surface and receives the return signal using two antennas on either side of the spacecraft.
According to NASA, for the first six months after launch, SWOT will be in a “fast-sampling” phase with a 1-day repeat orbit. Objectives in this phase include calibration and validation while studying rapidly changing phenomena.
The next phase – Operations & Sustainment – should last about three years It will have a 21-day repeat orbit to balance global coverage and sampling. NASA chose this “non-sun-synchronous orbit to minimize tidal aliasing and ensure coverage of major water bodies on land.” SWOT’s 75-mi-wide swath will result in overlapping measurements over most of the globe with an average revisit time of 11 days.
For a discussion of “tidal aliasing,” see this article in Geophysical Journal International. It’s about overcoming errors in current models that have to do with undersampling, uncertainty, imperfections and low-resolution.
Scientists Describe Anticipated Benefits
Scientists working on the mission described anticipated benefits:
Larry Smith: “Through acquisition of high-resolution, spatially continuous measurements of inland water surface elevations, SWOT stands poised to revolutionize terrestrial hydrology in much the same way that Seasat transformed physical oceanography in 1978.”
Mike Durand: SWOT will help us “better understand how precipitation is partitioned (runoff, evapotranspiration, storage).”
Colin Gleason: “SWOT’s downstream estimates of river discharge will form perhaps the world’s most complete accounting of human alteration of river flow.”
Marc Simard: It will tell us “where surface water flows and where it is stored, everywhere on Earth.”
Doug Vandemark: “New data will aid existing weather prediction models in terms of how they resolve and predict heat and energy exchange between the atmosphere and oceans in both fair and foul weather situations.”
Demitris Menemenlis: SWOT will give us “increased predictive skill for weather forecasting.”
David Sandwell: It will “improve our mapping of the marine [environment] by perhaps a factor of 5.”
SWOT is a joint effort of NASA and the French space agency CNES, with contributions from the Canadian and United Kingdom space agencies.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 12/18/22
1937 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Screenshot-2022-12-18-at-11.42.09-AM.png?fit=1414%2C826&ssl=18261414adminadmin2022-12-18 11:47:132022-12-18 11:54:03New NASA Satellite Will Measure Changes in Earth’s Rivers, Lakes, Oceans
This week, contractors completed the demotion of the old Kingwood Middle School (KMS). This clears the way for construction of the new, larger, permanent stormwater-detention basin and rebuilding of athletic fields in front of the new KMS. Even the foundation has been removed.
Photos Taken Dec. 17, 2022
Demolition of old school complete.Looking NW toward Woodland Hills.Looking East. Note temporary detention pond alone Pine Terrace on right.Looking N toward new schoolLooking west toward Woodland Hills at what will become the new athletic fields.
The old Kingwood Middle School was the first middle school in Kingwood and served Kingwood students for 45 years. Humble ISD built it in 1977.
With completion of the demolition of the old KMS, a piece of Kingwood history is gone. But a new chapter begins with a gorgeous new showcase that speaks for the resilience and quality of one of the finest communities in southeast Texas.
Progress of Construction in Photos
For photos showing the progress of KMS construction and demolition, see below.
I can’t wait to see this project when it is complete!
Posted by Bob Rehak on 12/17/22
1936 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/20221217-DJI_0507.jpg?fit=1200%2C799&ssl=17991200adminadmin2022-12-17 17:45:012022-12-17 17:45:06Demolition of old KMS Complete
Last night, Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) revealed its long-awaited recommendations to reduce flood risk along Taylor Gully. The recommendations involve channel improvements, another Woodridge Village stormwater detention basin, and a new bridge at Rustling Elms.
HCFCD is seeking public comment on the plan through December 28, 2022.
Outline of Recommended Alternative
Excessive runoff from Woodridge flooded hundreds of homes in Elm Grove, North Kingwood Forest, and Mills Branch twice in 2019 after a developer clearcut 270 acres without sufficient mitigation.
A concrete-lined, low-flow channel within the existing channel to expand conveyance from 350 feet downstream of Creek Manor Drive to 1500 feet downstream of Mills Branch Drive. The concrete portion would be four feet deep and 20 feet wide.
An additional dry-bottom, 412.5 acre-foot detention basin on the northern portion of the site.
A new clear-span bridge at Rustling Elms to replace the current bridge over two culverts.
Four-foot-deep, 20-foot-wide concrete channel-in-a-channel (not drawn to scale) would expand conveyance without expanding current width of main channel.Scope of recommended alternative. Does not show work on E&R contract already underway or replacement of Rustling Elms bridge. But those would be included.
The recommended alternative would not require any right-of-way acquisition. Translation: no buyouts required.
166% Increase In Stormwater Detention Capacity
Not shown in the diagram above is the stormwater detention basin that Sprint Sand and Gravel is currently working on. Under the terms of their excavation and removal contract with HCFCD, the contractor has up to three years to excavate 500,000 cubic yards. A spokesperson for HCFCD said, “We expect that they will excavate the full amount. The E&R area, like the existing Perry Homes basins, will eventually connect to or become part of the Woodridge detention-basin network to complement the recommended alternative.”
Five hundred thousand cubic yards equals 309 acre feet. With the new pond, that would add 721 acre-feet of stormwater detention to the existing site. The site currently has 271 acre feet of detention. So, the detention volume would increase 166%. It only needed to increase 40% to meet Atlas-14 requirements. Net: the recommended fix should create a considerable margin of safety.
Not Included in Recommendations
The plan does NOT include any improvements near White Oak Creek at the downstream end of Taylor Gully. HCFCD determined that flooding at that end of the channel was caused by backup from White Oak and Caney Creeks.
Area circled in red floods from water backing up from White Oak Creek, not Taylor Gully.
However, discussion during the meeting suggested that the recommended detention basins further upstream on Taylor Gully could help that area to a minor degree. The plan primarily addresses flooding along and either side of the channel highlighted above to the left of the red circle.
Bridge Replacement
Because of the concrete-lined, low-flow channel conveyance improvements that are a part of the recommended alternative, the existing culverts at Rustling Elms Drive (below) would need to be replaced. See below. An open-span bridge like the one in the background would likely replace it. The current bridge built over culverts (below) backed water up considerably during the 2019 floods and contributed to flooding homes for several blocks on either side of it.
The bridge at Rustling Elms (foreground) caused backups after Woodridge was clearcut. This would be replaced.
Comparison of Alternatives
HCFCD recommended Alternative #1 because it removes the most structures, acres and roadway from the floodplain for the second lowest cost. Compare the alternatives below. For a fuller description of each alternative, including those not recommended, see the complete presentation.
Alternative #1 is recommended.
What Comes Next?
The sequence below outlines project steps. We are currently discussing the preliminary engineering phase. After public comments have been incorporated in that report, HCFCD will deliver it to commissioner’s court and begin final design.
After close of public comments, they will be incorporated into plan transmitted to Commissioners Court.
Then, the final design will begin for all improvements. Once complete, the final design will dictate final costs and timing.
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/20221215-Screenshot-2022-12-15-at-3.38.50-PM-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C667&ssl=16671200adminadmin2022-12-15 16:43:582022-12-16 09:47:09Public Comment Period on Taylor Gully-Woodridge Village Plan Open to December 28
New NASA Satellite Will Measure Changes in Earth’s Rivers, Lakes, Oceans
Early in the morning on December 16, 2022, NASA launched a new satellite that will map and subsequently measure changes in virtually all of the Earth’s rivers, lakes and oceans. High-resolution imaging will even be able to measure changes in ocean currents and temperatures. Scientists will use the imaging capabilities to better understand flooding, droughts and coastal erosion. One said it will “revolutionize hydrology.”
About the Satellite and Orbit
The satellite will orbit more than 550 miles high. Nicknamed SWOT (Surface Water and Ocean Topography), the mission will cover the globe between the Arctic and Antarctica at least once every three weeks.
About the size of a SUV, the satellite will measure the height of water on more than 90% of Earth’s surface. It will enable scientists to track water flow and identify potential high-risk areas.
The heart of the improvements is an innovative instrument called the Ka-band radar interferometer (KaRIn) – a major technological advance. KaRIn bounces radar pulses off the water’s surface and receives the return signal using two antennas on either side of the spacecraft.
According to NASA, for the first six months after launch, SWOT will be in a “fast-sampling” phase with a 1-day repeat orbit. Objectives in this phase include calibration and validation while studying rapidly changing phenomena.
The next phase – Operations & Sustainment – should last about three years It will have a 21-day repeat orbit to balance global coverage and sampling. NASA chose this “non-sun-synchronous orbit to minimize tidal aliasing and ensure coverage of major water bodies on land.” SWOT’s 75-mi-wide swath will result in overlapping measurements over most of the globe with an average revisit time of 11 days.
For a discussion of “tidal aliasing,” see this article in Geophysical Journal International. It’s about overcoming errors in current models that have to do with undersampling, uncertainty, imperfections and low-resolution.
Scientists Describe Anticipated Benefits
Scientists working on the mission described anticipated benefits:
For More Information
To learn more, check out the following:
SWOT is a joint effort of NASA and the French space agency CNES, with contributions from the Canadian and United Kingdom space agencies.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 12/18/22
1937 Days since Hurricane Harvey
Demolition of old KMS Complete
This week, contractors completed the demotion of the old Kingwood Middle School (KMS). This clears the way for construction of the new, larger, permanent stormwater-detention basin and rebuilding of athletic fields in front of the new KMS. Even the foundation has been removed.
Photos Taken Dec. 17, 2022
The old Kingwood Middle School was the first middle school in Kingwood and served Kingwood students for 45 years. Humble ISD built it in 1977.
Andrew Wells was the first principal. He subsequently became principal of Kingwood High School and served there for 20 years.
With completion of the demolition of the old KMS, a piece of Kingwood history is gone. But a new chapter begins with a gorgeous new showcase that speaks for the resilience and quality of one of the finest communities in southeast Texas.
Progress of Construction in Photos
For photos showing the progress of KMS construction and demolition, see below.
I can’t wait to see this project when it is complete!
Posted by Bob Rehak on 12/17/22
1936 Days since Hurricane Harvey
Public Comment Period on Taylor Gully-Woodridge Village Plan Open to December 28
Last night, Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) revealed its long-awaited recommendations to reduce flood risk along Taylor Gully. The recommendations involve channel improvements, another Woodridge Village stormwater detention basin, and a new bridge at Rustling Elms.
HCFCD is seeking public comment on the plan through December 28, 2022.
Outline of Recommended Alternative
Excessive runoff from Woodridge flooded hundreds of homes in Elm Grove, North Kingwood Forest, and Mills Branch twice in 2019 after a developer clearcut 270 acres without sufficient mitigation.
To fix the problem, HCFCD examined four different alternatives outlined in this presentation, but recommended Option 1. It includes building:
The recommended alternative would not require any right-of-way acquisition. Translation: no buyouts required.
166% Increase In Stormwater Detention Capacity
Not shown in the diagram above is the stormwater detention basin that Sprint Sand and Gravel is currently working on. Under the terms of their excavation and removal contract with HCFCD, the contractor has up to three years to excavate 500,000 cubic yards. A spokesperson for HCFCD said, “We expect that they will excavate the full amount. The E&R area, like the existing Perry Homes basins, will eventually connect to or become part of the Woodridge detention-basin network to complement the recommended alternative.”
Five hundred thousand cubic yards equals 309 acre feet. With the new pond, that would add 721 acre-feet of stormwater detention to the existing site. The site currently has 271 acre feet of detention. So, the detention volume would increase 166%. It only needed to increase 40% to meet Atlas-14 requirements. Net: the recommended fix should create a considerable margin of safety.
Not Included in Recommendations
The plan does NOT include any improvements near White Oak Creek at the downstream end of Taylor Gully. HCFCD determined that flooding at that end of the channel was caused by backup from White Oak and Caney Creeks.
However, discussion during the meeting suggested that the recommended detention basins further upstream on Taylor Gully could help that area to a minor degree. The plan primarily addresses flooding along and either side of the channel highlighted above to the left of the red circle.
Bridge Replacement
Because of the concrete-lined, low-flow channel conveyance improvements that are a part of the recommended alternative, the existing culverts at Rustling Elms Drive (below) would need to be replaced. See below. An open-span bridge like the one in the background would likely replace it. The current bridge built over culverts (below) backed water up considerably during the 2019 floods and contributed to flooding homes for several blocks on either side of it.
Comparison of Alternatives
HCFCD recommended Alternative #1 because it removes the most structures, acres and roadway from the floodplain for the second lowest cost. Compare the alternatives below. For a fuller description of each alternative, including those not recommended, see the complete presentation.
What Comes Next?
The sequence below outlines project steps. We are currently discussing the preliminary engineering phase. After public comments have been incorporated in that report, HCFCD will deliver it to commissioner’s court and begin final design.
Then, the final design will begin for all improvements. Once complete, the final design will dictate final costs and timing.
To View Video of Meeting and Comment…
HCFCD wants your input. To review the hour-long video of the meeting and/or submit a public comment, see this page (F-14 Taylor Gully Flood Risk Reduction Project).
Review the entire presentation here.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 12/15/22
1934 Days since Hurricane Harvey