Modelling and remote sensing of water temperature of the Yenisei river (Russia)

The summertime hydrothermal regime of the Yenisei River downstream of the Krasnoyarsk hydroelectric power plant is modeled using a remote sensing and deterministic approach. The Fourier equation is used, and the following physical processes contributing to the heat exchange between the water and the surroundings are taken into consideration: the absorption of direct and scattered solar radiation by water, the absorption of downwelling thermal infrared radiation (TIR) from the atmosphere by water surface, TIR back from the water surface, the convection of heat and the heat loss due to evaporation of water. A clear-skies river thermal regime under no wind condition is studied at 32-km downstream the power plant, and the obtained results are compared against remote sensing data.