Advancing Scientific Understanding and Practical Adaptation and Mitigation of Floods Through Remote Sensing, Modeling, and AI
LI's Flood Lab at CU Boulder
Publications

Publications

2024

Evaluation of IMERG climate trends over land in the TRMM and GPM eras

Zhu, Siyu; Li, Zhi; Chen, Mengye; Wen, Yixin; Liu, Zhong; Huffman, George; Tsoodle, Theresa; Ferraro, Sebastian; Wang, Yuzhou; Hong, Yang

Evaluation of IMERG climate trends over land in the TRMM and GPM eras Journal Article

In: Environmental Research Letters, 2024.

Links | BibTeX | Tags: Climate change, Precipitation, Remote Sensing

How has the latest IMERG V07 improved the precipitation estimates and hydrologic utility over CONUS against IMERG V06?

Zhu, Siyu; Li, Zhi; Chen, Mengye; Wen, Yixin; Gao, Shang; Zhang, Jiaqi; Wang, Jiao; Nan, Yi; Ferraro, Sebastian; Tsoodle, Theresa; Hong, Yang

How has the latest IMERG V07 improved the precipitation estimates and hydrologic utility over CONUS against IMERG V06? Journal Article

In: Journal of Hydrology, vol. 645, 2024.

Links | BibTeX | Tags: Flood modeling, Precipitation, Remote Sensing

Assessing the Impacts of Falling Ice Radiative Effects on the Seasonal Variation of Land Surface Properties

Kisembe, Jesse; Li, Jui-Lin; Wen, Yixin; Lee, Wei-Liang; Qian, Weikang; Li, Zhi; Jiang, Jonathan

Assessing the Impacts of Falling Ice Radiative Effects on the Seasonal Variation of Land Surface Properties Journal Article

In: Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmosphere, vol. 129, iss. 15, pp. e2024JD040991, 2024.

Links | BibTeX | Tags: Climate change, Land-atmosphere interaction

Hydro-modeling the ecosystem impact of wastewater reuse under climate change: A case study in upper Red River basin, Oklahoma

Gao, Shang; Li, Zhi; Graves, Grant; Mattes, Hannah; Fathollahifard, Shadi; Vogel, Jason; Neeson, Thomas; Strevett, Keith; Hong, Yang

Hydro-modeling the ecosystem impact of wastewater reuse under climate change: A case study in upper Red River basin, Oklahoma Journal Article

In: Journal of the American Water Resources Association, vol. 0, iss. 0, pp. 1-14, 2024.

Links | BibTeX | Tags: water resources

2023

Introducing Flashiness-Intensity-Duration-Frequency (F-IDF): A New Metric to Quantify Flash Flood Intensity

Li, Zhi; Gao, Shang; Chen, Mengye; Zhang, Jiaqi; Gourley, Jonathan; Wen, Yixin; Yang, Tiantian; Hong, Yang

Introducing Flashiness-Intensity-Duration-Frequency (F-IDF): A New Metric to Quantify Flash Flood Intensity Journal Article

In: Geophysical Research Letters, vol. 50, iss. 23, pp. e2023GL104992, 2023.

Links | BibTeX | Tags: Flash floods, Flood modeling, Floods

Comparison of GPM IMERG Version 06 Final Run Products and Its Latest Version 07 Precipitation Products across Scales: Similarities, Differences and Improvements

Wang, Yaji; Li, Zhi; Gao, Lei; Zhong, Yong; Peng, Xinhua

Comparison of GPM IMERG Version 06 Final Run Products and Its Latest Version 07 Precipitation Products across Scales: Similarities, Differences and Improvements Journal Article

In: Remote Sensing, vol. 15, iss. 23, pp. 5622, 2023.

Links | BibTeX | Tags: Precipitation, Remote Sensing

CONUS-wide model calibration and validation for CRESTv3.0 - an improved Coupled Routing and Excess STorage distributed hydrological model

Chen, Mengye; Li, Zhi; Vergara, Humberto; Gourley, Jonathan; Xue, Ming; Hong, Yang; Hu, Xiao-Ming; Novoa, Hector Mayol; Martin, Elinor; McPherson, Renee; Gao, Shang; Perez, Andres Vitaliano; Morales, Isaac Yanqui

CONUS-wide model calibration and validation for CRESTv3.0 - an improved Coupled Routing and Excess STorage distributed hydrological model Journal Article

In: Journal of Hydrology, 2023.

Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Flood modeling

Studying Brown Ocean Re-Intensification of Hurricane Florence Using CYGNSS and SMAP Soil Moisture Data and a Numerical Weather Model

Li, Zhi; Tiwari, Alka; Sui, Xinxin; Garrison, James; Marks, Frank; Niyogi, Dev

Studying Brown Ocean Re-Intensification of Hurricane Florence Using CYGNSS and SMAP Soil Moisture Data and a Numerical Weather Model Journal Article

In: Geophysical Research Letters, vol. 50, iss. 19, pp. e2023GL105102, 2023.

Links | BibTeX | Tags: Land-atmosphere interaction, Remote Sensing

Future Heavy rainfall and flood risks for Native America under climate and demographic changes: A case study in Oklahoma

Li, Zhi; Tsoodle, Theresa; Chen, Mengye; Gao, Shang; Zhang, Jiaqi; Wen, Yixin; Yang, Tiantian; King, Farina; Hong, Yang

Future Heavy rainfall and flood risks for Native America under climate and demographic changes: A case study in Oklahoma Journal Article

In: Weather, Climate, and Society, 2023.

Links | BibTeX | Tags: climate injustice, Flash floods, Floods

A decadal review of the CREST model family: Developments, applications, and outlook

Li, Zhi; Xue, Xianwu; Clark, Robert; Vergara, Humberto; Gourley, Jonathan; Tang, Guoqiang; Shen, Xinyi; Kan, Guangyuan; Zhang, Ke; Wang, Jiahu; Chen, Mengye; Gao, Shang; Zhang, Jiaqi; Yang, Tiantian; Wen, Yixin; Kirstetter, Pierre; Hong, Yang

A decadal review of the CREST model family: Developments, applications, and outlook Journal Article

In: Journal of Hydrology X, vol. 100159, 2023.

Links | BibTeX | Tags:

Examining impacts of policy, technology, and climate extremes on thermoelectric power production and river thermal pollution in the Midwest and Northeast of the United States

Zhang, Jiaqi; Chen, Mengye; Gao, Shang; Li, Zhi; Vorosmarty, Charles; Fekete, Balazs; Miara, Ariel; Hong, Yang

Examining impacts of policy, technology, and climate extremes on thermoelectric power production and river thermal pollution in the Midwest and Northeast of the United States Journal Article

In: Frontiers in Environmental Science, vol. 11, 2023.

Links | BibTeX | Tags:

Rapid Flood Inundation Forecast Using Fourier Neural Operator

Sun, Alexander; Li, Zhi; Lee, Woohyun; Huang, Qixing; Scanlon, Bridget

Rapid Flood Inundation Forecast Using Fourier Neural Operator Conference

physics.flu-dyn arXiv, 2023.

Links | BibTeX | Tags:

Triple Collocation of Ground-, Satellite- and Land Surface Model-Based Surface Soil Moisture Products in Oklahoma Part II: New Multi-Sensor Soil Moisture (MSSM) Product

Hong, Zhen; Moreno, Hernan; Alvarez, Laura; Li, Zhi; Hong, Yang

Triple Collocation of Ground-, Satellite- and Land Surface Model-Based Surface Soil Moisture Products in Oklahoma Part II: New Multi-Sensor Soil Moisture (MSSM) Product Journal Article

In: Remote Sensing, vol. 15, iss. 13, 2023.

Links | BibTeX | Tags: Remote Sensing

Diverging identifications of extreme precipitation events from satellite observations and reanalysis products: A global perspective based on an object-tracking method

Wang, Tsechun; Li, Zhi; Ma, Ziqiang; Gao, Zhen; Tang, Guoqiang

Diverging identifications of extreme precipitation events from satellite observations and reanalysis products: A global perspective based on an object-tracking method Journal Article

In: Remote Sensing of Environment, vol. 288, pp. 113490, 2023.

Links | BibTeX | Tags:

Joint collaboration on comparing NOAA’s ground-based weather radar and NASA-JAXA’s spaceborne radar

Li, Zhi; Wen, Yixin; Liao, Liang; Wolff, David; Meneghini, Robert; Schuur, Terry

Joint collaboration on comparing NOAA’s ground-based weather radar and NASA-JAXA’s spaceborne radar Journal Article

In: Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 2023.

Links | BibTeX | Tags:

2022

Triple Collocation of Ground-, Satellite-and Land Surface Model-Based Surface Soil Moisture Products in Oklahoma—Part I: Individual Product Assessment

Hong, Zhen; Moreno, Hernan A; Li, Zhi; Li, Shuo; Greene, John S; Hong, Yang; Alvarez;, Laura V

Triple Collocation of Ground-, Satellite-and Land Surface Model-Based Surface Soil Moisture Products in Oklahoma—Part I: Individual Product Assessment Journal Article

In: Remote Sensing, vol. 14, iss. 22, pp. 5641, 2022.

BibTeX | Tags:

Cross-Examining Precipitation Products by Rain Gauge, Remote Sensing, and WRF Simulations over a South American Region across the Pacific Coast and Andes

Chen, Mengye; Huang, Yongjie; Li, Zhi; Larico, Albert Johan Mamani; Xue, Ming; Hong, Yang; Hu, Xiao-Ming; Novoa, Hector Mayol; Martin, Elinor; McPherson, Renee; Zhang, Jiaqi; Gao, Shang; Wen, Yixin; Perez, Andres Vitaliano; Morales, Isaac Yanqui

Cross-Examining Precipitation Products by Rain Gauge, Remote Sensing, and WRF Simulations over a South American Region across the Pacific Coast and Andes Journal Article

In: Atmosphere, vol. 13, iss. 10, pp. 1666, 2022, (A comparison of precipitation products from satellite observation, WRF simulation, and insitu gauges over Andes ).

Links | BibTeX | Tags: Precipitation, Remote Sensing

Disentangling error structures of precipitation datasets using decision trees

Sui, Xinxin; Li, Zhi; Tang, Guoqiang; Yang, Zong-Liang; Niyogi, Dev

Disentangling error structures of precipitation datasets using decision trees Journal Article

In: Remote Sensing of Environment, vol. 280, pp. 113185, 2022, (Interpret decision tree structures to infer spatiotemporal errors on satellite precipitation products.).

Links | BibTeX | Tags: Precipitation, Remote Sensing

Spatiotemporal characteristics of US floods: Current status and forecast under a future warmer climate

Li, Zhi; Gao, Shang; Chen, Mengye; Gourley, Jonathan; Hong, Yang

Spatiotemporal characteristics of US floods: Current status and forecast under a future warmer climate Journal Article

In: Earth's Future, vol. 10, pp. e2022EF002700, 2022, (Quantify extreme rainfall and flood seasonality identifying more frequent, widespread, yet less seasonal rainfall and flood events in the future).

Links | BibTeX | Tags: Climate change, Floods

Can re-infiltration process be ignored for flood inundation mapping and prediction during extreme storms? A case study in Texas Gulf Coast region

Li, Zhi; Chen, Mengye; Gao, Shang; Wen, Yixin; Gourley, Jonathan; Yang, Tiantian; Kolar, Randall; Hong, Yang

Can re-infiltration process be ignored for flood inundation mapping and prediction during extreme storms? A case study in Texas Gulf Coast region Journal Article

In: Environmental Modelling and Software, vol. 155, pp. 105450, 2022, (Answered the scientific question of whether re-infiltration process in Hydrology is important and can be ignored in flood inundation mapping during extreme events).

Links | BibTeX | Tags: Flood modeling, Floods

A flood predictability study for Hurricane Harvey with the CREST-iMAP model using high-resolution quantitative precipitation forecasts and U-Net deep learning precipitation nowcasts

Chen, Mengye; Li, Zhi; Gao, Shang; Xue, Ming; Gourley, Jonathan; Kolar, Randall; Hong, Yang

A flood predictability study for Hurricane Harvey with the CREST-iMAP model using high-resolution quantitative precipitation forecasts and U-Net deep learning precipitation nowcasts Journal Article

In: Journal of Hydrology, vol. 612, pp. 128168, 2022, (Comparing different QPFs and their impact on flood inundation).

BibTeX | Tags: Flood modeling, Floods, Precipitation

CREST-VEC: A framework towards more accurate and realistic flood simulation across scales

Li, Zhi; Gao, Shang; Chen, Mengye; Gourley, Jonathan; Mizukami, Naoki; Hong, Yang

CREST-VEC: A framework towards more accurate and realistic flood simulation across scales Journal Article

In: Geoscientific Model Development, vol. 15, pp. 6181-6196, 2022, (Developed an efficient and accurate flood forecast framework that can operate globally in real time).

Links | BibTeX | Tags: Flood modeling

Decadal development of CREST hydrological model family: review, improvements, applications, and outlook

Li, Zhi

Decadal development of CREST hydrological model family: review, improvements, applications, and outlook PhD Thesis

2022.

Links | BibTeX | Tags: Climate change, Flash floods, Flood modeling, Floods, Precipitation, Remote Sensing

The conterminous United States are projected to become more prone to flash floods in a high-end emissions scenario

Li, Zhi; Gao, Shang; Chen, Mengye; Gourley, Jonathan; Liu, Changhai; Prein, Andreas; Hong, Yang

The conterminous United States are projected to become more prone to flash floods in a high-end emissions scenario Journal Article

In: Communications Earth and Environment, vol. 3, iss. 1, pp. 1-9, 2022, (First study to quantify flash flood potential in the US in a warmer climate).

Links | BibTeX | Tags: Climate change, Flash floods

Multisensor Remote Sensing and the Multidimensional Modeling of Extreme Flood Events: A Case Study of Hurricane Harvey–Triggered Floods in Houston, Texas, USA

Chen, Mengye; Li, Zhi; Gao, Shang

Multisensor Remote Sensing and the Multidimensional Modeling of Extreme Flood Events: A Case Study of Hurricane Harvey–Triggered Floods in Houston, Texas, USA Book Chapter

In: Zhang, Ke; Hong, Yang; AghaKouchak, Amir (Ed.): Remote Sensing of Water-related Hazards, Chapter 5, pp. 87-104, American Geophysical Union, 2022.

Links | BibTeX | Tags: Flood modeling, Floods, Precipitation, Remote Sensing

Evaluation of GPM IMERG and its constellations in extreme events over the conterminous United States

Li, Zhi; Tang, Guoqiang; Kirstetter, Pierre; Gao, Shang; Li, J-F; Wen, Yixin; Hong, Yang

Evaluation of GPM IMERG and its constellations in extreme events over the conterminous United States Journal Article

In: Journal of Hydrology, vol. 606, pp. 127357, 2022, (Continental-scale evaluation of satellite precipitation utilities during extreme rainfall events).

Links | BibTeX | Tags: Precipitation, Remote Sensing

2021

Spatiotemporal variability of global river extent and the natural driving factors revealed by decades of Landsat observations, GRACE gravimetry observations, and land surface model simulations

Gao, Shang; Li, Zhi; Chen, Mengye; Lin, Peirong; Hong, Zhen; Allen, Daniel; Neeson, Thomas; Hong, Yang

Spatiotemporal variability of global river extent and the natural driving factors revealed by decades of Landsat observations, GRACE gravimetry observations, and land surface model simulations Journal Article

In: Remote Sensing of Environment, vol. 267, pp. 112725, 2021, (A Global study of investigating spatiotemporal hydrologic processes using modern satellite products).

Links | BibTeX | Tags: Climate change, Remote Sensing, water resources

Mapping dynamic non-perennial stream networks using high-resolution distributed hydrologic simulation: A case study in the upper blue river basin

Gao, Shang; Chen, Mengye; Li, Zhi; Cook, Stephen; Allen, Daniel; Neeson, Thomas; Yang, Titantian; Yami, Teshome; Hong, Yang

Mapping dynamic non-perennial stream networks using high-resolution distributed hydrologic simulation: A case study in the upper blue river basin Journal Article

In: Journal of Hydrology, vol. 600, pp. 126522, 2021, (One of the first use of hydrological models to interpret stream intermittency).

Links | BibTeX | Tags: Remote Sensing, River intermittency

Monitoring Drought through the Lens of Landsat: Drying of Rivers during the California Droughts

Gao, Shang; Li, Zhi; Chen, Mengye; Allen, Daniel; Neeson, Thomas; Hong, Yang

Monitoring Drought through the Lens of Landsat: Drying of Rivers during the California Droughts Journal Article

In: vol. 13, iss. 17, pp. 3423, 2021, (The use of remote sensing optical sensors to detect river intermittency).

Links | BibTeX | Tags: Remote Sensing, River intermittency, water resources

A multi-source 120-year US flood database with a unified common format and public access

Li, Zhi; Chen, Mengye; Gao, Shang; Gourley, Jonathan; Yang, Tiantian; Shen, Xinyi; Kolar, Randall; Hong, Yang

A multi-source 120-year US flood database with a unified common format and public access Bachelor Thesis

2021, (The longest flood data sets in the US by multi-source collections).

Links | BibTeX | Tags: Flood database, Floods

CREST-iMAP v1. 0: A fully coupled hydrologic-hydraulic modeling framework dedicated to flood inundation mapping and prediction

Li, Zhi; Chen, Mengye; Gao, Shang; Luo, Xiangyu; Gourley, Jonathan; Kirstetter, Pierre; Yang, Tiantian; Kolar, Randall; McGovern, Amy; Wen, Yixin; Rao, Bo; Yami, Teshome; Hong, Yang

CREST-iMAP v1. 0: A fully coupled hydrologic-hydraulic modeling framework dedicated to flood inundation mapping and prediction Journal Article

In: Environmental Modelling and Software, vol. 141, pp. 105051, 2021, (Developed a coupled system that integrates hydrologic process and hydraulic routing for flood prediction).

Links | BibTeX | Tags: Flood modeling, Floods, Remote Sensing

CREST/EF5 capacity building to enhance resilience to hydrodynamic disasters in emerging regions

Teshome, Yami; Shang, Gao; Mengye, Chen; Zhi, Li; Laura, Labriola; Calvince, Wara; Feleke, Beshah; Yang, Hong

CREST/EF5 capacity building to enhance resilience to hydrodynamic disasters in emerging regions Journal Article

In: African Journal of Environmental Science and Technology, vol. 15, iss. 6, pp. 230-242, 2021, (Capacity building project to use hydrologic models/tools to protect African local residents).

Links | BibTeX | Tags: Capacity building, Flood modeling

Two-decades of GPM IMERG early and final run products intercomparison: Similarity and difference in climatology, rates, and extremes.

Li, Zhi; Tang, Guoqiang; Hong, Zhen; Chen, Mengye; Gao, Shang; Kirstetter, Pierre; Gourley, Jonathan; Wen, Yixin; andd Soumaya Nabih, Teshome Yami; YangHong,

Two-decades of GPM IMERG early and final run products intercomparison: Similarity and difference in climatology, rates, and extremes. Journal Article

In: Journal of Hydrology, vol. 594, pp. 125975, 2021, (Global evaluation of satellite precipitation product utilities and its applicability in real time weather forecast).

Links | BibTeX | Tags: Precipitation, Remote Sensing

2020

Ground Validation and Error Sources Identification for GPM IMERG Product over the Southeast Coastal Regions of China

Sui, Xinxin; Li, Zhi; Ma, Ziqiang; Xu, Jintao; Zhu, Siyu; Liu, Hui

Ground Validation and Error Sources Identification for GPM IMERG Product over the Southeast Coastal Regions of China Journal Article

In: Remote Sensing, vol. 12, iss. 24, pp. 4154, 2020, (Satellite precipitation products error identification in coastal regions).

Links | BibTeX | Tags: Precipitation, Remote Sensing

Advancing Satellite Precipitation Retrievals with Data Driven Approaches: Is black box model explainable?

Li, Zhi; Wen, Yixin; Schreier, Mathias; Behrangi, Ali; Hong, Yang; Lambrigtsen, Bjorn

Advancing Satellite Precipitation Retrievals with Data Driven Approaches: Is black box model explainable? Journal Article

In: Earth and Space Science, vol. 8, pp. e2020EA001423, 2020, (One of the first machine learning interpretation used in satellite precipitation retrievals).

Links | BibTeX | Tags: Deep Learning, Precipitation, Remote Sensing

Cross-Examination of Similarity, Difference and Deficiency of Gauge, Radar and Satellite Precipitation Measuring Uncertainties for Extreme Events Using Conventional Metrics and Multiplicative Triple Collocation

Li, Zhi; Chen, Mengye; Gao, Shang; Hong, Zhen; Tang, Guoqiang; Wen, Yixin; Gourley, Jonathan; Hong, Yang

Cross-Examination of Similarity, Difference and Deficiency of Gauge, Radar and Satellite Precipitation Measuring Uncertainties for Extreme Events Using Conventional Metrics and Multiplicative Triple Collocation Journal Article

In: Remote Sensing, vol. 12, iss. 8, pp. 1258, 2020, (Investigate the uncertainties of precipitation products derived from three sources: satellite, weather radar, and in-situ gauges).

Links | BibTeX | Tags: Precipitation, Remote Sensing