Obʹ river discharge from TOPEX/Poseidon satellite altimetry (1992–2002)

The paper discusses an application of the TOPEX/Poseidon (T/P) altimetry data to estimate the discharge of one of the largest Arctic rivers—the Obʹ river. We first discuss the methodology to select and retrieve the altimeter water levels during the various phases of the hydrological regime. Then we establish the relationships between the satellite-derived water levels and the in situ river discharge measurements at the Salekhard gauging station near the Obʹ estuary. The comparison of in situ and satellite-derived estimations of the Obʹ discharge at Salekhard shows that the T/P data can successfully be used for hydrological studies of this river. We address the problems affecting the accuracy of the discharge estimations from altimeter measurements, identify potential solutions and suggest how satellite altimetry data may benefit hydrological studies of Arctic rivers.