Discharge estimation and forecasting by MODIS and altimetry data in Niger-Benue River

The results confirmed the capability of the MODIS data to estimate river discharge with performance indices > 0.97 and 0.95 in terms of coefficient of correlation and Nash Sutcliffe efficiency. In particular, RMSE does not exceed 1300 m3/s and the fractional RMSE ranges between 0.15 and 0.23. For the forecasting exercise, both altimetry and MODIS provide satisfactory results with positive coefficient of persistence considering 4 days of lead time (> 0.34). Although altimetry was found to be more accurate in the forecasting of river discharge (RMSE ~ 350 m3/s), the much higher temporal resolution of MODIS guarantees a continuity that is more suitable to address operational activities.