In southwest Greenland, deltas are growing in response to increased sediment discharge driven by increased glacial meltwater generation in a warming climate. For Arctic rivers, sediment discharge is expected to increase by 22% for every 2 degrees C of atmospheric warming, driving the continuous increase in sediment supply to coastal Southwest Greenland. Our lab monitors the effect of sediment delivery on delta growth patterns by using satellite imagery and field observation.

Dams have fundamentally altered the global fluvial carbon budget, as two-thirds of the world’s largest rivers are impounded, shifting sediment deposition from oceans to inland reservoirs. We study the Rio Grande upstream of Elephant Butte Reservoir (EBR) in New Mexico, which carries a large and highly seasonal sediment load, and has experienced extreme drought.

Long-term suspended sediment monitoring in rivers is crucial for understanding and predicting changes in water quality, sediment transport and coastal morphology. Traditional methods of estimating SSC and water salinity involve field-based sampling and laboratory analysis, which are time-consuming and localized. Remote sensing provides an efficient method for monitoring SSC, allowing for frequent data collection over large areas.