Smart sensor networks for flood and drought resilience

洪水和干旱是世界上最具破坏性的自然灾害之一，每年夺走数千人的生命。全球气候变化正在加剧极端天气事件。与土地利用变化等其他人类活动相结合，这将导致世界许多地区洪涝和干旱的严重程度和社会影响增加。水文监测对于发展强有力的预警系统、建立防备和减少人类遭受洪涝和干旱的影响至关重要。然而，测量确定洪旱灾害的水文过程仍然充满了技术和科学挑战。在全球南方尤其如此，那里的水文气象监测网络稀少，而且往往资源不足。然而，这些地区往往居住着最脆弱和最容易受到水文极端影响的人口。该博士项目将开发下一代传感技术，以支持洪水和干旱管理和复原力建设。该项目将利用帝国理工学院在环境传感技术创新方面的世界领先专业知识。我们的水文和水资源实验室在世界各地设计、组装和部署了300多个传感器，从安第斯冰川和山区湿地到索马里和菲律宾的地下水井。目前的项目将专注于开发和测试测量水通量和水质的新技术，特别是近实时数据传输、代理传感以及智能和自适应传感算法。该项目将与英国洪水和干旱研究基础设施密切合作实施。FDRI是英国范围内一生只有一次的对洪水和干旱研究的新型基础设施的投资，由英国生态和水文中心(UKCEH)领导的交付团队实施，Imperial作为执行合作伙伴。它将为博士项目创造一个独特的研究和创新平台，以及研究合作和影响创造的机会。

Floods and droughts are among the world's most devastating natural hazards, claiming thousands of lives each year. Global climate change is intensifying extreme weather events. In combination with other human activities such as land-use change, this will lead to an increase in the severity and societal impact of floods and droughts in many parts of the world.Hydrological monitoring is essential to develop robust systems for early warning, build preparedness, and reduce human exposure to floods and droughts. However, measuring the hydrological processes that determine flood and drought hazard is still fraught with technical and scientific challenges. This is especially the case in the Global South, where hydrometeorological monitoring networks are sparse and often under-resourced. Yet these regions often host the populations that are most vulnerable and most exposed to hydrological extremes.This PhD project will develop the next generation of sensing technologies to support flood and drought management and resilience building. The project will leverage Imperial's world-leading expertise on technological innovation in environmental sensing. Our Hydrology and Water Resources Laboratory has designed, assembled, and deployed over 300 sensors all over the world, from Andean glaciers and mountain wetlands to groundwater wells in Somalia and the Philippines. The current project will focus on developing and testing novel technologies to measure water fluxes and water quality, with a specific focus on near real-time data transmission, proxy sensing, and smart and adaptive sensing algorithms. The project will be implemented in close collaboration with the UK Flood and Drought Research Infrastructure. FDRI is a one-of-a-lifetime UK-wide investment in novel infrastructure for flood and drought research, implemented by a delivery team led by the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (UKCEH), with Imperial as an executive partner. It will create a unique research and innovation platform for the PhD project, and opportunity for research collaboration and impact creation.