Surface Water Inventory through Satellite Sensing

Data collected by the earth resources satellite have been used to develop a regression model, through which surface water storage volume for ungaged water bodies or an area can be estimated from corresponding satellite-derived waterspread area. Field data on storage volume for 17 reservoirs in Tamil Nadu State in India and data from Landsat (formerly, Earth Resources Technology Satellite) on different dates were used in the development of the model. The satellite-derived waterspread area is able to account for 83% of the variation in storage volume. Surface water monitoring and inventory through this model has potential applications in irrigation and ground-water development and management programs.