High resolution mapping of supra‐glacial drainage pathways reveals link between micro‐channel drainage density,surface roughness and surface reflectance

This paper reports on the use of a small unmanned aerial vehicle (sUAV) carrying a standard compact camera, to construct a high resolution orthomosaic (OM) and digital elevation model (DEM) over the lower reaches of the glacier Midtre Lovénbreen, Svalbard. Structure from Motion (SfM) techniques were used to build the OM and DEM, and together these reveal insights into the nature of supra‐glacial drainage. Major meandering supra‐glacial drainage pathways show clear dynamism, via meander cutoffs and abandoned channels. In addition, the imagery reveals a very extensive network of smaller channels that may well carry substantial amounts of water. This network of channels is in part controlled by the structure of the glacier, but in turn, these channels have a significant impact on the ice surface. Roughness of the ice surface is higher where channels are most extensive. In addition, we find a relationship between channel density and surface reflectance, such that greater channel density is associated with lower reflectance values. Given the role of surface reflectance and roughness in the energy balance of glaciers, it is therefore apparent that extensive networks of small supra‐glacial channels across such glaciers have the potential to have an important impact on energy exchanges between the atmosphere and the ice surface. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The importance of surface controls on overland flow connectivity in semi‐arid environments: results from a numerical experimental approach

In semi‐arid environments, the characteristics of the land surface determine how rainfall is transformed into surface runoff and influences how this runoff moves from the hillslopes into river channels. Whether or not water reaches the river channel is determined by the hydrological connectivity. This paper uses a numerical experiment‐based approach to systematically assess the effects of slope length, gradient, flow path convergence, infiltration rates and vegetation patterns on the generation and connectivity of runoff. The experiments were performed with the Connectivity of Runoff Model, 2D version distributed, physically based, hydrological model. The experiments presented are set within a semi‐arid environment, characteristic of south‐eastern Spain, which is subject to low frequency high rainfall intensity storm events. As a result, the dominant hydrological processes are infiltration excess runoff generation and surface flow dynamics. The results from the modelling experiments demonstrate that three surface factors are important in determining the form of the discharge hydrograph: the slope length, the slope gradient and the infiltration characteristics at the hillslope‐channel connection. These factors are all related to the time required for generated runoff to reach an efficient flow channel, because once in this channel, the transmission losses significantly decrease. Because these factors are distributed across the landscape, they have a fundamental role in controlling the landscape hydrological response to storm events. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Spatial–temporal variability and hydrologic connectivity of runoff generation areas in a North Alabama pasture—implications for phosphorus transport

This study delineated spatially and temporally variable runoff generation areas in the Sand Mountain region pasture of North Alabama under natural rainfall conditions, and demonstrated that hydrologic connectivity is important for generating hillslope response when infiltration‐excess (IE) runoff mechanism dominates. Data from six rainfall events (13·7–32·3 mm) on an intensively instrumented pasture hillslope (0·12 ha) were analysed. Analysis of data from surface runoff sensors, tipping bucket rain gauge and HS‐flume demonstrated spatial and temporal variability in runoff generation areas. Results showed that the maximum runoff generation area, which contributed to runoff at the outlet of the hillslope, varied between 67 and 100%. Furthermore, because IE was the main runoff generation mechanism on the hillslope, the data showed that as the rainfall intensity changed during a rainfall event, the runoff generation areas expanded or contracted. During rainfall events with high‐intensity short‐ to medium‐duration, 4–8% of total rainfall was converted to runoff at the outlet. Rainfall events with medium‐ to low‐intensity, medium‐duration were found less likely to generate runoff at the outlet. In situ soil hydraulic conductivity (k) was measured across the hillslope, which confirmed its effect on hydrologic connectivity of runoff generation areas. Combined surface runoff sensor and k‐interpolated data clearly showed that during a rainfall event, lower k areas generate runoff first, and then, depending on rainfall intensity, runoff at the outlet is generated by hydrologically connected areas. It was concluded that in IE‐runoff‐dominated areas, rainfall intensity and k can explain hydrologic response. The study demonstrated that only connected areas of low k values generate surface runoff during high‐intensity rainfall events. Identification of these areas would serve as an important foundation for controlling nonpoint source pollutant transport, especially phosphorus. The best management practices can be developed and implemented to reduce transport of phosphorus from these hydrologically connected areas. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A network theory approach for a better understanding of overland flow connectivity

Hydrological connectivity describes the physical coupling (linkages) of different elements within a landscape regarding (sub‐) surface flows. A firm understanding of hydrological connectivity is important for catchment management applications, for example, habitat and species protection, and for flood resistance and resilience improvement. Thinking about (geomorphological) systems as networks can lead to new insights, which has also been recognized within the scientific community, seeing the recent increase in the use of network (graph) theory within the geosciences. Network theory supports the analysis and understanding of complex systems by providing data structures for modelling objects and their linkages, and a versatile toolbox to quantitatively appraise network structure and properties. The objective of this study was to characterize and quantify overland flow connectivity dynamics on hillslopes in a humid sub‐Mediterranean environment by using a combination of high‐resolution digital‐terrain models, overland flow sensors and a network approach. Results showed that there are significant differences between overland flow connectivity on agricultural areas and semi‐natural shrubs areas. Significant positive correlations between connectivity and precipitation characteristics were found. Significant negative correlations between connectivity and soil moisture were found, most likely because of soil water repellency and/or soil surface crusting. The combination of structural networks and dynamic networks for determining potential connectivity and actual connectivity proved a powerful tool for analysing overland flow connectivity. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

DTM resolution controls the accuracy of estimating surface runoff indicators in flat,lowland landscapes

Surface runoff plays an important role in contaminant transport, nutrient loss, soil erosion and peak discharges in streams and rivers. Because it is the result of a variety of complex hydrological processes, estimating surface runoff using physically based hydrological models is challenging. Upscaling of physical soil properties is necessary to cope with the limits of computational power in surface runoff modelling. In flat landscapes, the (micro)topographic surface controls the onset and progression of surface runoff on saturated soils during rain events. Therefore, its proper representation is crucial when attempting to model and predict surface runoff. In this study, the influence of microtopography (centimetre scale) on estimations of maximum depression storage (MDS), random roughness (RR) and the connectivity threshold (CT) is explored. These properties are selected because they often serve as surface runoff indicators in hydrological modelling. To characterize microtopography, a terrestrial laser scanner (TLS) is used to generate a digital terrain model (DTM) of the study site with a horizontal spatial resolution of 5 cm. MDS, RR and CT are then calculated and compared to the values generated from the publicly available Dutch national DTM dataset with a resolution of 50 cm. Our results show considerable differences in MDS, RR and CT when calculated for the different input resolution datasets. Using DTMs that do not sufficiently capture microtopography leads to underestimation of MDS and RR, and to overestimation of CT. Our findings indicate that surface runoff indicators, and thereby the surface runoff response of a saturated surface to rainfall events, are defined at scales smaller than the scales of typically available DTMs. Understanding surface runoff through modelling studies therefore requires a framework that accounts for this lack of information arising from using coarser resolution DTMs. We demonstrate a linear relationship between MDS values generated from the different resolution DTMs. This opens the possibility of using empirical scaling relationships between high- and lower-resolution DTMs to account for microtopography. Repetition of our measurements on similar surfaces would contribute to establishing such empirical scaling relationships. Our results should be seen as indicative of flat landscapes and surfaces where centimetre scale microtopography is relevant.     

A simplified model for estimating field‐scale surface runoff hydrographs

The problem of obtaining field‐scale surface response to rainfall events is complicated by the spatial variability of infiltration characteristics of the soil and rainfall. In this paper, we develop and test a simplified model for generating surface runoff over fields with spatial variation in both rainfall rate and saturated hydraulic conductivities. The model is able to represent the effects of local variation in infiltration, as well as the run‐on effect that controls infiltration of excess water from saturated upstream areas. The effective rainfall excess is routed to the slope outlet using a simplified solution of the kinematic wave approximation. Model results are compared to averaged hydrographs from numerically‐intensive Monte–Carlo simulations for observed and design rainfall events and soil patterns that are typical of Central Italy. The simplified model is found to yield satisfactory results at a relatively small computational expense. A proposal to include a simple channel routing scheme is also presented as a prelude to extend this conceptualization to watershed scales. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A simple two‐parameter model for scaling hillslope surface runoff

The objective of this research was to develop and parameterise a physically justified yet low‐parameter model to quantify observed changes in surface runoff ratios with hillslope length. The approach starts with the assumption that a unit of rainfall‐excess runoff generated at a point is a fraction β of precipitation P (m) which travels some variable distance down a slope before reinfiltrating, depending on the local rainfall, climate, soils, etc. If this random distance travelled Y is represented by a distribution, then a survival function will describe the probability of this unit of runoff travelling further than some distance x (m). The total amount of per unit width runoff Q (m²) flowing across the lower boundary of a slope of length λ (m) may be considered the sum of all the proportions of the units of rainfall excess runoff integrated from the lower boundary x = 0 to the upper boundary x = λ of the slope. Using these assumptions we derive a model Q(λ) = βPμλ/(μ + λ), (μ > 0, 0 ≤ β ≤ 1, λ ≥ 0) that describes the change in surface runoff with slope length, where μ (m) is the mean of the random variable Y. Dividing both sides of this equation by Pλ yields a simple two‐parameter equation for the dimensionless hillslope runoff ratio Q_h(λ) = βμ/(μ + λ). The model was parameterised with new rainfall and runoff data collected from three replicates of bounded 2 m wide plots of four different lengths (0.5, 1.0, 2.0 and 4.0 m) for 2 years from a forested SE Australian site, and with 32 slope length–runoff data sets from 12 other published studies undertaken between 1934 and 2010. Using the parameterised model resulted in a Nash and Sutcliffe statistic between observed and predicted runoff ratio (for all data sets combined) of 0.93, compared with –2.1 when the runoff ratio was fixed at the value measured from the shortest plot. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Wildfire effects on road surface erosion,deposition, and road–stream connectivity

High and moderate severity wildfires should increase sediment production from unpaved roads due to the increased surface runoff from upslope, and increase road–stream connectivity due to the decrease in downslope surface roughness as well as the increase in surface runoff and erosion. Because no study has documented these effects, we surveyed road surface erosion features and quantified road–stream connectivity as a function of fire severity and road segment characteristics. The data were collected one year after the High Park wildfire from 141 hydrologically distinct road segments along 6.8 km of an unpaved road west of Fort Collins, Colorado. Road segments below areas burned at high and moderate severity had significantly more rills than road segments below areas that burned at low severity. Road segment slope was an important control on the proportion of segment length with rills, and the strength of the relationship between road segment slope and the amount of rilling increased with burn severity. Flatter road segments tended to capture the sediment eroded from upslope burned areas. In areas burned at high and moderate severity all of the road segments had drainage features extending to a stream, and 78% of the segments in areas burned at low severity also were connected. These exceptionally high rates of road–stream connectivity are attributed to the increased runoff from upslope, the segment‐scale collection and funneling of hillslope and road surface runoff to a single drainage point, and the reduced infiltration and trapping capacity of the burned area below the road. The results show the need to either outslope the roads or increase the frequency of constructed drainage features after wildfires, particularly for steeper road segments in areas burned at high or moderate severity. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Incorporating landscape features to obtain an object‐oriented landscape drainage network representing the connectivity of surface flow pathways over rural catchments

A topological representation of a rural catchment is proposed here in addition to the generally used topographic drainage network. This is an object‐oriented representation based on the identification of the inlets and outlets for surface water flow on each farmer's field (or plot) and their respective contributing areas and relationships. It represents the catchment as a set of independent plot outlet trees reaching the stream, while a given plot outlet tree represents the pattern of surface flow relationships between individual plots. In the present study, we propose to implement functions related to linear and surface elements of the landscape, such as hedges or road networks, or land use, to obtain what we call a landscape drainage network which delineates the effective contributing area to the stream, thus characterizing its topological structure. Landscape elements modify flow pathways and/or favour water infiltration, thus reducing the area contributing to the surface yield and modifying the structure of the plot outlet trees. This method is applied to a 4·4‐km² catchment area comprising 43 955 pixels and 312 plots. While the full set of 164 plot outlet trees, with an average of 7 plots per tree, covers 100% of the total surface area of the catchment, the landscape drainage network comprises no more than 37 plot outlet trees with an average of 2 plots per tree, accounting for 52 and 7% of the catchment surface area, when taking account of linear elements and land use, respectively. This topological representation can be easily adapted to changes in land use and land infrastructure, and provides a simple and functional display for intercomparison of catchments and decision support regarding landscape and water management. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A new surface runoff parameterization with subgrid-scale soil heterogeneity for land surface models

Soil heterogeneity plays an important role in determining surface runoff generation mechanisms. At the spatial scales represented by land surface models used in regional climate model and/or global general circulation models (GCMs) for numerical weather prediction and climate studies, both infiltration excess (Horton) and saturation excess (Dunne) runoff may be present within a studied area or a model grid cell. Proper modeling of surface runoff is essential to a reasonable representation of feedbacks in the land–atmosphere system. In this paper, a new surface runoff parameterization that dynamically represents both Horton and Dunne runoff generation mechanisms within a model grid cell is presented. The new parameterization takes into account of effects of soil heterogeneity on Horton and Dunne runoff. A series of numerical experiments are conducted to study the effects of soil heterogeneity on Horton and Dunne runoff and on soil moisture storage under different soil and precipitation conditions. The new parameterization is implemented into the current version of the hydrologically based variable infiltration capacity (VIC) land surface model and tested over three watersheds in Pennsylvania. Results show that the new parameterization plays a very important role in partitioning the water budget between surface runoff and soil moisture in the atmosphere–land coupling system. Significant underestimation of the surface runoff and overestimation of subsurface runoff and soil moisture could be resulted if the Horton runoff mechanism were not taken into account. Also, the results show that the Horton runoff mechanism should be considered within the context of subgrid-scale spatial variability of soil properties and precipitation. An assumption of time-invariant spatial distribution of potential infiltration rate may result in large errors in surface runoff and soil moisture. In addition, the total surface runoff from the new parameterization is less sensitive to the choice of the soil moisture shape parameter of the distribution.     

A 2D hydrodynamic model for shallow water flows with significant infiltration losses

Infiltration losses may be significant and warrant proper incorporation into mathematical models for river floods in arid and semi-arid areas, rainfall-induced surface runoffs in watersheds and swashes on beaches. Here, a depth-averaged two-dimensional hydrodynamic model is presented for such processes based on the cell-centred finite volume method on unstructured meshes, with the full Green-Ampt equation evaluating the infiltration rate. A local time stepping strategy is employed along with thread parallelization with Open Multi-processing and high-performance computing to reduce model run time and therefore facilitate applications for large-scale processes. The numerical solutions generally agree with the experimental and field-measured data for typical cases with significant infiltration losses. The case study shows that neglecting infiltration leads to an overestimated discharge hydrograph, which cannot be compensated by means of varied bed resistance as estimated by Manning roughness, and the infiltration parameters play disparate roles in modifying shallow flows compared with Manning roughness. In addition, infiltration affects bed shear stress, which in turn modifies the critical bed sediment size that could be initiated for incipient motion by the flow and therefore needs to be properly accounted for when sediment transport and morphological evolution are to be resolved.     

The effects of topographic depressions on multiscale overland flow connectivity: A high‐resolution spatiotemporal pattern analysis approach based on connectivity statistics

In watershed modelling, the traditional practice of arbitrarily filling topographic depressions in digital elevation models has raised concerns. Advanced high‐resolution remote sensing techniques, including airborne scanning laser altimetry, can identify naturally occurring depressions that impact overland flow. In this study, we used an ensemble physical and statistical modelling approach, including a 2D hydraulic model and two‐point connectivity statistics, to quantify the effects of depressions on high‐resolution overland flow patterns across spatial scales and their temporal variations in single storm events. Computations for both models were implemented using graphic processing unit‐accelerated computing. The changes in connectivity statistics for overland flow patterns between airborne scanning laser altimetry‐derived digital elevation models with (original) and without (filled) depressions were used to represent the shifts of overland flow response to depressions. The results show that depressions can either decrease or increase (to a lesser degree and shorter duration) the probability that any two points (grid locations) are hydraulically connected by overland flow pathways. We used macro‐connectivity states (Φ) as a watershed‐specific indicator to describe the spatiotemporal thresholds of connectivity variability caused by depressions. Four states of Φ are identified in a studied watershed, and each state represents different magnitudes of connectivity and connectivity changes (caused by depressions). The magnitude of connectivity variability corresponds to the states of Φ, which depend on the topological relationship between depressions, the rising/recession limb, and the total rainfall amount in a storm event. In addition, spatial distributions of connectivity variability correlate with the density of depression locations and their physical structures, which cause changes in streamflow discharge magnitude. Therefore, this study suggests that depressions are “nontrivial” in watershed modelling, and their impacts on overland flow should not be neglected. Connectivity statistics at different spatial scales and time points within a watershed provide new insights for characterizing the distributed and accumulated effects of depressions on overland flow.     

A finite element model for simulating surface run‐off and unsaturated seepage flow in the shallow subsurface

This work introduces water–air two‐phase flow into integrated surface–subsurface flow by simulating rainfall infiltration and run‐off production on a soil slope with the finite element method. The numerical model is formulated by partial differential equations for hydrostatic shallow flow and water–air two‐phase flow in the shallow subsurface. Finite element computing formats and solution strategies are presented to obtain a numerical solution for the coupled model. An unsaturated seepage flow process is first simulated by water–air two‐phase flow under the atmospheric pressure boundary condition to obtain the rainfall infiltration rate. Then, the rainfall infiltration rate is used as an input parameter to solve the surface run‐off equations and determine the value of the surface run‐off depth. In the next iteration, the pressure boundary condition of unsaturated seepage flow is adjusted by the surface run‐off depth. The coupling process is achieved by updating the rainfall infiltration rate and surface run‐off depth sequentially until the convergence criteria are reached in a time step. A well‐conducted surface run‐off experiment and traditional surface–subsurface model are used to validate the new model. Comparisons with the traditional surface–subsurface model show that the initiation time of surface run‐off calculated by the proposed model is earlier and that the water depth is larger, thus providing values that are closer to the experimental results.     

Performance assessment of a GCM land surface scheme using a fine‐scale calibrated hydrological model: an evaluation of MOSES for the Nile Basin

Land surface schemes (LSSs) represent the interface between land surface and the atmosphere in general circulation models (GCMs). Errors in LSS‐simulated heat and moisture fluxes can result from inadequate representation of hydrological features and the derivation of effective surface parameters for large heterogeneous GCM gridboxes from small‐scale observations. Previous assessments of LSS performance have generally compared simulated heat and moisture fluxes to observations over a defined experimental domain for a limited period. A different approach has been evaluated in this study, which uses a fine‐resolution calibrated hydrological model of the study basin to provide a quasi‐observed runoff series for direct comparison with simulated runoff from a selected LSS at GCM scale. The approach is tested on two GCM gridboxes covering two contrasting regions within the Nile Basin. Performance is mixed; output from the LSS is generally compatible with that of the fine‐resolution model for one gridbox while it cannot reproduce the runoff dynamics for the other. The results also demonstrate the high sensitivity of runoff and evapotranspiration to radiation and precipitation inputs and show the importance of subtle issues such as temporal disaggregation of climatic inputs. We conclude that the use of a fine‐resolution calibrated model to evaluate a LSS has several advantages, can be generalized to other areas to improve the performance of global models and provides useful data that can be used to constrain LSS parameterizations. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Influence of soil‐surface types on the overall runoff of the Tabernas badlands (south‐east Spain): field data and model approaches

The Tabernas desert, an extensive badlands area in Almeria province (south‐east Spain), is characterized by a high variability in soil surface cover and soil properties along with important topographical contrasts giving rise to a wide range of hydrological behaviour. A double approach through field monitoring and modelling has been used to ascertain the influence of soil‐surface variability on the overall hydrological response. Small plots were monitored for 3 years to assess runoff from the different surface types. Data provided by the long‐term monitoring of three small catchments formed by different soil surfaces were used to find out the specific contribution of each soil surface to the catchment runoff. A simple spatially distributed model was built to predict runoff generation based on the infiltration rate of each soil‐surface type (defined as terrain units with the same cover, the same soil type and on the same landform). Plot results prove that the soil surface units within the study area behave differently in terms of hydrological response to natural rainfall. These responses are explained by the types of cover, topographical characteristics and soil properties. When runoff events are simple (with one or two runoff peaks), the modelled hydrographs reproduce the hydrographs observed reasonably well, but in complex events (with several runoff peaks) the adjustment is not as good. The model also shows the influence of the spatial distribution of soil surfaces on the overall runoff, aiding exploration of the spatial hydrological relationships among different landscape units. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A soft hydrological monitoring approach for comparing runoff on a network of small poorly gauged catchments

Catchments in many parts of the world are either ungauged or poorly gauged, and the dominant processes governing their streamflow response are still poorly understood. The analysis of runoff coefficients provides essential insight into catchment response, particularly if both range of catchments and a range of events are compared. This paper investigates how well the hydrological runoff of 11 small, poorly gauged catchments with ephemeral streams (0·1‐0·6 km²) can be compared using estimated runoff with the associated uncertainty. Data of rainfall and water depth at a catchment's outlet were recorded using automatic logging equipment during 2008‐2009. The hydrological regime is intermittent and the annual precipitation ranged between 569 and 727 mm. Discharge was estimated using Manning's equation and channel cross‐section measurements. Innovative work has been performed under controlled experimental conditions to estimate Manning's coefficient values for the different cover types observed in studied streams: non‐aquatic vegetations (giant reed, bramble and thistle), grass and coarse granular deposits. The results show that estimates derived using roughness coefficients differ from those previously established for larger streams with aquatic vegetation. Catchment runoff was compared at both the event and the annual scale. The results indicate significant variability between the catchment's responses. This variability allows for classification in spite of all the uncertainty associated with runoff estimation. This study highlights the potential of using a network of poorly gauged catch ments. From almost no catchment understanding the proposed methodology allows to compare poorly gauged catchments and highlights similarity/dissimilarity between catchment responses. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Assessing the performance of structure‐from‐motion photogrammetry and terrestrial LiDAR for reconstructing soil surface microtopography of naturally vegetated plots

Soil microtopography is a property of critical importance in many earth surface processes but is often difficult to quantify. Advances in computer vision technologies have made image‐based three‐dimensional (3D) reconstruction or Structure‐from‐Motion (SfM) available to many scientists as a low cost alternative to laser‐based systems such as terrestrial laser scanning (TLS). While the performance of SfM at acquiring soil surface microtopography has been extensively compared to that of TLS on bare surfaces, little is known about the impact of vegetation on reconstruction performance. This article evaluates the performance of SfM and TLS technologies at reconstructing soil microtopography on 6 m × 2 m erosion plots with vegetation cover ranging from 0% to 77%. Results show that soil surface occlusion by vegetation was more pronounced with TLS compared to SfM, a consequence of the single viewpoint laser scanning strategy adopted in this study. On the bare soil surface, elevation values estimated with SfM were within 5 mm of those from TLS although long distance deformations were observed with the former technology. As vegetation cover increased, agreement between SfM and TLS slightly degraded but was significantly affected beyond 53% of ground cover. Detailed semivariogram analysis on meter‐square‐scale surface patches showed that TLS and SfM surfaces were very similar even on highly vegetated plots but with fine scale details and the dynamic elevation range smoothed out with SfM. Errors in the TLS data were mainly caused by the distance measurement function of the instrument especially at the fringe of occlusion regions where the laser beam intersected foreground and background features simultaneously. From this study, we conclude that a realistic approach to digitizing soil surface microtopography in field conditions can be implemented by combining strengths of the image‐based method (simplicity and effectiveness at reconstructing soil surface under sparse vegetation) with the high accuracy of TLS‐like technologies. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A review of terrestrial radar interferometry for measuring surface change in the geosciences

This paper presents a review of the current state of the art in the use of terrestrial radar interferometry for the detection of surface changes related to mass movement. Different hardware‐types and acquisition concepts are described, which use either real or synthetic aperture for radar image formation. We present approaches for data processing procedures, paying special attention to the separation of high resolution displacement information from atmospheric phase variations. Recent case studies are used to illustrate applications in terrestrial radar interferometry for change detection. Applications range from detection and quantification of very slow moving (millimeters to centimeters per year) displacements in rock walls from repeat monitoring, to rapid processes resulting in fast displacements (~50 m/yr) acquired during single measurement campaigns with durations of only a few hours. Fast and episodic acting processes such as rockfall and snow avalanches can be assessed qualitatively in the spatial domain by mapping decorrelation caused by those processes. A concluding guide to best practice outlines the necessary preconditions that have to be fulfilled for successful application of the technique, as well as in areas characterized by rapid decorrelation. Empirical data from a Ku‐band sensor show the range of temporal decorrelation of different surfaces after more than two years for rock‐surfaces and after a few seconds to minutes in vegetated areas during windy conditions. The examples show that the displacement field can be measured for landslides in dense grassland, ice surfaces on flowing glaciers and snowpack creep. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.