Bruce Podwal Seminar Series
Water resources monitoring in arid regions using remote sensing and modeling tools
Marouane Temimi, Associate Professor
Department of Civil, Environmental, and Ocean Engineering
Stevens Institute of Technology
12:30 – 1:30 pm, Tuesday, Mar. 15, 2022
In person: Civil Engineering Department, Room 105, Steinman Hall
(Light lunch will be served)
Online: https://ccny.zoom.us/j/85839128635
Abstract: Accurate understanding of the spatiotemporal distribution of water resources is crucial for the sustainable development of arid regions. Here, we focus on the Arabian Peninsula and use satellite data to (i) analyze the local climatology of precipitation, soil moisture, and water storage, (ii) characterize their temporal variability and spatial distribution, and (iii) infer recent trends. Remote sensing data for precipitation, water storage and soil moisture were obtained from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM), the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE), and the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer - Earth Observing System (AMSR-E), respectively. We first compare the GRACE retrievals to in situ groundwater well observations locally over the United Arab Emirates. Statistically significant decreasing trends in water storage were observed from both the GRACE data and well observations. The study relies on trend analysis, the modified Mann-Kendall test, and change point detection statistics. Decreasing ASMR-E trend coefficients were recorded in the southern part of the Peninsula and were spatially in line with the decreasing TRMM trends, while the highest decreasing GRACE trends were recorded in the northern part of the Peninsula, revealing the dominant macro-scale impacts of groundwater migration. Lag times for GRACE water storage peak response were consistently low (1 to 6 months) and high (6 to 12 months) over the northern, and southern parts, respectively, revealing the important impact of soil type, topography, and climatic disparities on the Peninsula’s water budget components.
Biography: Dr. Temimi is an Associate Professor in the Civil, Environmental, and Ocean Engineering Department at Stevens Institute of Technology, in New Jersey, USA. Dr. Temimi obtained his Ph.D. degree in water resources and remote sensing and his MSc degree in Hydrology from the University of Quebec, Montreal, Canada. Dr. Temimi holds over fifteen years of extensive experience in industry and academia. Dr. Temimi worked at the City University of New York as Research Associate Professor affiliated with the NOAA-CREST Institute. He was overseeing research activities of the Remote Sensing of Land and Hydrology Research Group. Dr. Temimi expanded his experience internationally when worked at Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, which was established in collaboration with MIT in the UAE. He established a research lab focused on sensing and modeling natural hazards in coastal environment. He led/co-led several research projects including those funded by NOAA and NASA. He taught several courses in water resources, remote sensing, and GIS. He mentored more than 30 graduate and undergraduate students. He has more than 100 peer-reviewed publications and several contributions to books and book chapters. Dr. Temimi holds a relevant industrial experience in water resources with major engineering firms and he was involved in international engineering projects.
Last Updated: 02/24/2022 18:38