Building on the momentum of February's Floodplain Flow Measurement workshop in Edinburgh, FDRI's innovation team recently installed a network of time-lapse cameras along a known floodplain in the River Severn at Shrewsbury, to explore new approaches to monitoring how water moves across a floodplain during high-flow events, helping to close important evidence gaps in areas where flows are currently ungauged.
The trial will evaluate low-cost, non-invasive monitoring techniques that could complement traditional hydrological measurements and inform future environmental monitoring across FDRI catchments.
Time-lapse cameras to fill ungauged gaps
The cameras will provide time-lapse observations of floodplain inundation to complement conventional hydrological measurements, helping to improve understanding of the timing, extent and duration of floodplain flows. The site also offers opportunities to integrate complementary technologies in future, including low-cost sensors, drones and Earth Observation, creating a testbed for hybrid approaches to environmental monitoring.
Importantly, the work has also established a strong relationship with a highly engaged landowner who is keen to use their land to support scientific research and improve future climate resilience. Their enthusiasm for continued collaboration provides an excellent foundation for future monitoring and capacity building activities and illustrates the importance of working in partnership with landowners to develop sustainable, long-term research sites.
Delivering greater insight into floodplain flow processes
The camera installations form part of FDRI's work to improve understanding of floodplain flow processes, an area recognised as a significant challenge for UK hydrology. Initial investigations considered opportunities for monitoring closer to the Dolwen gauging station, but subsequent site assessments showed that floodplain inundation there is relatively infrequent, limited in extent and typically short-lived, reducing opportunities for meaningful observation. By contrast, the floodplain on this site experiences more extensive and longer-lasting inundation, making it a more suitable location for studying floodplain processes and testing innovative monitoring approaches.
The chosen site also demonstrates the wider impacts of floodplain flows. Inundation influences river morphology and floodplain processes, affecting local communities and agricultural land and disrupting transport infrastructure, including the nearby A470. This makes the site valuable not only for scientific research but also for developing monitoring approaches that address real-world flood management challenges.