VIIRS/NPP Water Reservoir Monthly: Global Reservoir Elevation and Evaporation

NASA/NOAA Suomi NPP VIIRS Water Reservoir Product Monthly Level 3 Global Version 2 provides monthly time series data for 164 global water bodies, including 151 man-made reservoirs and 13 regulated natural lakes. The dataset is derived from satellite remote sensing and models to estimate reservoir surface area, elevation, water storage capacity, evaporation rate, and evaporation volume. It synthesizes 8-day area classifications with meteorological data to produce monthly composites.

Use Cases

• Monitoring reservoir water storage capacity changes over time based on monthly storage estimates.
• Estimating evaporation losses from reservoirs using modeled evaporation rate and volume data.
• Analyzing surface area dynamics of regulated lakes and reservoirs from satellite-derived classifications.
• Assessing water availability for regions dependent on specific reservoirs using dam location and storage data.

Strengths

• Covers a specific, curated set of 164 global reservoirs and regulated lakes.
• Integrates multiple data sources: VIIRS satellite classifications, land surface temperature, and GLDAS meteorological models.
• Provides a consistent monthly time series for key hydrological variables.

Limitations

• Known issues with surface area estimation in high-latitude regions and due to lake ice coverage, leading to overestimation.
• Metadata completeness is medium; specific column names, row counts, and dataset size are not provided across sources.
• Conflicting license information: one source specifies 'other-license-specified', another lists 'None'.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing (VIIRS/NPP) combined with the Lake Temperature and Evaporation Model (LTEM) and GLDAS meteorological data.

Freshness

Last updated on one platform: 2026-04-09.

Geography

Global, covering 164 specific reservoirs and regulated lakes.