The methodological framework conceived during the development phase of CRuHM identified a number of approaches, including:

• Undertaking basic hydrological science research covering a large spatial scale, with the objective of collecting a number of fundamental data sets related to river hydraulics and geomorphology. Specifically, these data sets will be temporal changes in river morphology (river banks, islands etc.), river bathymetry and suspended sediment concentration distribution. Preliminary estimates will be derived using analysis of remote sensing data. The preliminary estimates will then be used to guide field measurement of the same parameters which will in turn allow better calibration and validation of the remote sensing methods (ground-truthing) in order to improve the initial versions of the datasets.

• Remote sensing of river bathymetry using optical images has the potential to work in optically shallow inland waters (Legleiter 2013), recently tested successfully at Bristol. This would be the first application of this methodology on a river of this scale. The results will help identify where the river is deep and where it is shallow, which will usefully inform the field measurement of bathymetry. River bathymetry for the Congo River is only currently known for a few locations and yet is fundamental to modelling and many estimates of biogeochemistry.

• Developing a hydrodynamic model that will incorporate this new data (bathymetry and river morphology) with the objective of studying the hydraulic behavior of the river and quantify the poorly understood water fluxes between the main channel and the floodplain. The hydrodynamic model will be coupled with the existing (University of Kinshasa and Institute for Water Research) hydrology model in order to quantify sediment sources and fluxes in the main channel as well as investigate impacts of possible future climate changes and human influences with a detailed model.

• Use of the latest rigorous remote sensing methods and field measurements to derive core river datasets that do not yet exist for the Congo River. These river parameters are absolutely fundamental to a wide range of river users needs and will enable primary science that has not been possible before due to lack of data. Modelling and analysis of these datasets will help address a number of scientific gaps in our understanding of the functioning of the river system. Findings from applying these methods on such a large spatial scale will also provide advances for global significance of these methods.

• Spatial and temporal distribution of suspended sediment concentration (SSC) will be derived from remote sensing images (Mertes et al 1993). Application of this method will require fieldwork to measure reflectivity of the Congo River as well as sediment samples to calibrate the remote sensing data. The broad spatial scale of this SSC assessment will allow identification of key sources of sediment and help provide estimates of volumes of sediment movement that are key geomorphological aspects of the river that have implications for navigation and hydropower.

• The large-scale spatial assessment of suspended sediment will identify major sediment sources and help to estimate the volume of moving sediments, which are key geomorphological aspects of the river with implications for navigation and hydropower.

• Testing and applying a methodological framework of fluvial sediment sampling programme based on methods used in the Pangani River Basin as well as other methods proposed by Horowitz (2004), Morris and Fan (1998), Rooseboom (1992), Summer et al.(1992).

• The methodological framework also integrates training in the form of short courses, identified during the project preparation phase, aimed at strengthening the capacity of researchers in various topics related to the implementation of the project. It also includes a PhD programme to strengthen the capacity of partner institutions in sub-Saharan Africa.

The short training program includes the following topics:

• Use of hydrodynamic models to understand the behaviour of the main stream of the Congo River: University of Bristol;

• Geomorphological processes, morphology and bathymetry of the river: University of Kinshasa;

• Hydrological modelling of a catchment area: Rhodes University;

• GIS and Remote Sensing Techniques for Calibration of (Q-H) Relationships and Sediment Assessment : University of Bristol

• Land use and occupation: changes in relation to sediment production. University of Dar es Salaam;

• Parameterization of wetlands in the Central Basin through intensive application of GIS and remote sensing techniques: University of Bristol;

• Hydraulic Infrastructure for Socio-Economic Development in the Congo River Basin: University of Kinshasa.

The PhD training programme is organized around the following topics, for the three sub-Saharan universities:

• Integrating hydrological and hydrodynamic models for improved understanding and Predictability of water resources systems in the Congo River Basin (University of Kinshasa);

• Congo River sedimentation and its impacts on hydropower planning (University of Dar es Salaam);

• Integrating basin scale hydrological models with detailed floodplain hydrodynamic models (Rhodes University).

The PhD training program is organized around the following topics:

• Hydrological modelling for a better understanding and predictability of water resource systems in the Congo Basin (University of Kinshasa) ;

• Sedimentation of the Congo River and its impacts on hydropower planning (University of Dar es Salaam) ;

• Integration of basin-scale hydrological models with detailed hydrodynamic models of the floodplain (Rhodes University);

• Numerical modelling of the hydraulics of the complex divagating channel of the Congo River and remote sensing of its bathymetry (University of Leeds).

La coordination de CRuHM est assurée par l’Université de Kinshasa, au travers de son Département de Gestion des Ressources Naturelles de la Faculté des Sciences Agronomiques. La gestion s’établit sur un principe de collaboration.