MODIS/Terra Water Reservoir 8-Day Global Data: Surface Area, Elevation, and Storage

NASA's MODIS/Terra Water Reservoir 8-Day L3 Global V061 product provides an 8-day time series for 164 reservoirs, including 151 man-made reservoirs and 13 regulated natural lakes. The dataset combines satellite-derived near-infrared reflectance with pre-established area-elevation curves to estimate surface area, elevation, and water storage. It was last updated on 2026-03-12.

Use Cases

• Monitoring reservoir water storage trends based on the 8-day time series of surface area and elevation.
• Analyzing seasonal and interannual surface water dynamics based on near-infrared reflectance classifications.
• Validating hydrological models using the provided reservoir area, elevation, and storage capacity data.
• Assessing the impact of regulation on natural lakes based on the inclusion of 13 regulated natural lakes.

Strengths

• Provides data for 164 specific water bodies, including 151 man-made reservoirs.
• Offers an 8-day temporal resolution for tracking changes over time.
• Derived from the Terra MODIS satellite, a well-established remote sensing platform.
• Integrates pre-established area-elevation curves for storage estimation.

Limitations

• Known issues include overestimation of surface area due to lake ice coverage and uncertainties in high-latitude regions.
• 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 (NASA)

Collection Method

Combines image classifications of near-infrared reflectance from the MOD09Q1 surface reflectance product with pre-established area-elevation curves.

Time Range

8-day time series (specific date range not provided).

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-12 23:35:54.442171; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global coverage for the 164 specified reservoirs.