Global Reservoir Surface Area and Storage Time Series from MODIS

164 man-made reservoirs and regulated lakes are monitored globally for surface area, elevation, and water storage every 8 days. The Terra Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite provides this data, processed by LPCLOUD using established Area-Elevation curves and near-infrared reflectance classifications.

Use Cases

• Model reservoir storage changes over time using the 8-day time series of surface area and elevation data.
• Analyze regional water resource stress by correlating reservoir area and storage capacity data across different geographic locations.
• Validate hydrological models by comparing satellite-derived elevation and storage estimates with ground-based measurements.
• Track seasonal and interannual variability in water availability using the continuous time series of reservoir surface area.

Strengths

• Time series data provides consistent 8-day observations for trend analysis.
• Covers a specific set of 164 globally distributed reservoirs and regulated lakes.
• Integrates pre-established Area-Elevation curves for deriving storage from area.

Limitations

• Surface area estimates can be overestimated in regions with lake ice coverage.
• Pixel-level uncertainties are larger in high-latitude regions, affecting area dynamics accuracy.
• The dataset is limited to 164 specific water bodies, not all global reservoirs.

Provenance

Source

NASA Terra MODIS satellite, processed by LPCLOUD.

Collection Method

Combines MOD09Q1 surface reflectance product NIR classifications with pre-established Area-Elevation curves.

Time Range

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Freshness

8-day update frequency.

Geography

Global coverage for the 164 specified reservoirs.