MODIS/Aqua Water Reservoir Monthly L3 Global V061

Global data for 151 man-made reservoirs and 13 regulated natural lakes. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration product provides monthly reservoir area, elevation, storage, and evaporation rates derived from MODIS satellite imagery and meteorological models. The dataset was last updated on March 12, 2026.

Use Cases

• Modeling reservoir water storage trends based on monthly area and elevation data.
• Estimating evaporation losses from water bodies based on derived evaporation rates and volume losses.
• Monitoring global surface water dynamics for man-made and regulated lakes based on satellite-derived classifications.

Strengths

• Covers 164 specific water bodies globally, including 151 man-made reservoirs.
• Integrates multiple data sources: MODIS satellite classifications, land surface temperature, and GLDAS meteorological data.
• Provides monthly composite data for key hydrological variables like area, elevation, and evaporation.

Limitations

• Known issues with surface area estimation in high latitude regions and areas with lake ice coverage.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Derived from Aqua MODIS 8-day area classifications, Land Surface Temperature data, and Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS) meteorological inputs.

Time Range

Monthly composites.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-12 23:45:17.681535; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global