Dr. Debi Prasad Sahoo

 

Brief Details:

PhD in Water Resources from IIT Kharagpur with over a year of postdoctoral research experience at CNR-IRPI, Italy, contributing to multiple international projects (CCI-RD, CRYOTEMPO, UAWOS). Currently serving as an Associate Scientist at ICRISAT, Hyderabad.

An organized and motivated early-career researcher with expertise in developing remote sensing (RS)-based algorithms for global river discharge estimation using multispectral and altimeter observations. Proficient in RS-based techniques for detecting optically active constituents in inland waters using multispectral data. Extensive experience in hydrological and hydrodynamic modeling, with strong programming skills in Python, MATLAB, and Google Earth Engine for handling large-scale spatial and earth observation data. Additionally, gained teaching experience in remote sensing and water resources during my teaching assistantship at IIT Kharagpur.

Research: Earth Observation for River Health Monitoring

River health management mostly depends on high-frequent (daily-scale) monitoring of streamflow and water quality at finer spatial resolutions. However, with the decline in the number of in situ monitoring stations owing to their expensive maintenance cost, there is a need to develop next-generation remote sensing (RS) tools as an alternate approach in rivers and narrow streams for both quantity and quality assessment with better synoptic coverage. These techniques are still in the experimental stage worldwide and site-specific which have to be explored for real field application. To investigate these possibilities, this research activity focused towards the development of algorithms for the estimation of discharge and suspended sediment along the river. In the context of the river discharge, the research demonstrates the use of multi-spectral (MODIS and Landsat) by advancing the CM approach and altimeters through rating curves for river discharge estimation along the Brahmani River. Furthermore, the CM approach was also advanced by considering the suspended sediment and vegetation dynamics along the flood plains; subsequently, the developed models were tested along the 26 global rivers by merging the CM signals retrieved from the MODIS, Landsat, and Sentinel 2 images. For deriving the long-term and continuous river discharge along the same gauging sites, the research also proposed a framework to merge CM signals from the multi-spectral and water surface elevation from the altimeters by addressing the cloud cover and temporal frequency limitations of standalone methods. Moreover, the utility of the RS-based river discharge was also being explored for the calibration of hydrological/hydrodynamic modelling in Indian conditions. At the same time, the potential of InSAR and SAR altimeters for developing longitudinal river profiles and investigating high-resolution discharge monitoring along narrow rivers by combining drone technology with satellite altimeters. Regarding suspended sediment monitoring, the current research work emphasizes its novelty by developing RS-based algorithms for daily-scale Total Suspended Solids (TSS) monitoring along dynamic river systems. During this endeavor, extensive field sampling was conducted along the Lower Ganges, and laboratory analyses were also performed. The inherent capabilities of the developed algorithms were also examined by integrating them with the physically-based hydrodynamic models for sediment transport monitoring. Subsequently, future research will be intended to develop RS-based approaches to enhance our understanding of river dynamics; subsequently, it can also help monitor natural disasters like flood and drought scenarios and pollution monitoring with the perception of river health.

Teaching: Basic Principles of Remote Sensing

This session provides an introductory overview of remote sensing as a key technology for observing and analyzing the Earth's surface. Remote sensing utilizes satellite and airborne sensors to collect data without direct physical contact, making it an essential tool for environmental monitoring, disaster management, and land-use planning.

The session will cover fundamental concepts, including the electromagnetic spectrum, sensor types (passive vs. active), and major satellite systems used in Earth observation. Key image characteristics, viz., spatial, spectral, temporal, and radiometric resolution will also be discussed to enhance understanding of remote sensing data interpretation.

Google Scholar Link:

https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=dQb3e00AAAAJ&hl=en