Water balance estimation in Australia through the merging of satellite observations with models

Abstract Australia is the driest of all inhabited continents, and is prone to both droughts and severe floods. In order to mitigate the impact of these phenomena, accurate flood forecasts and a reliable estimate of the land surface water storage are needed. This chapter provides an overview of three studies developing innovative methods to merge satellite data with models to achieve these goals. The overall conclusion from this work is that satellite data provide extremely valuable information for an improved water management, and that innovative methods are required to fully utilize their potential.