This project aims to use fiber-optic cables as large-scale sensors to continuously measure river flow and improve water monitoring.
Accurate streamflow measurements are essential for managing water resources, predicting floods, and understanding sediment transport, yet most U.S. streams lack monitoring. This project proposes HydroDAS, an innovative approach that applies Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) to streamflow measurement. DAS technology converts fiber-optic cables into dense arrays of strain sensors capable of detecting environmental changes along kilometers of cable, offering continuous, high-resolution data collection. Through a combined laboratory and field testbed study in collaboration with the USGS Next Generation Water Observing System, the team will evaluate DAS for hydrologic applications. The project will (1) identify optimal fiber-optic cable placement within stream channels, (2) determine how measured strain signals relate to stream discharge, and (3) optimize data collection settings such as frequency and channel spacing for resolving flow characteristics. By adapting an established geophysical tool for hydrology, this research aims to create a scalable, cost-effective method for monitoring streamflow, with the potential to enhance national water monitoring and improve decision-making related to water availability and flood risk.
Researchers
Martin A. Briggs
