Visualization of Lake Mead Surface Area Changes from 1972 to 2009

ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information

K. Wayne Forsythe¹  Barbara Schatz²  Stephen J. Swales¹  Lisa-Jen Ferrato¹ 

[1] Department of Geography, Ryerson University, 350 Victoria Street, Toronto, ON M5B 2K3, Canada;Institut für Geographie, Universität Bamberg, Am Kranen 12, D-96045 Bamberg, Germany;

关键词: change mapping;    Lake Mead;    Landsat;    shoreline;    visualization;    water levels;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijgi1020108

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

For most of the last decade, the south-western portion of the United States has experienced a severe and enduring drought. This has caused serious concerns about water supply and management in the region. In this research, 30 orthorectified Landsat satellite images from the United States Geological Service (USGS) Earth Explorer archive were analyzed for the 1972 to 2009 period. The images encompassed Lake Mead (a major reservoir in this region) and were examined for changes in water surface area. Decadal lake area minimums/maximums were achieved in 1972/1979, 1981/1988, 1991/1998, and 2009/2000. The minimum lake area extent occurred in 2009 (356.4 km²), while the maximum occurred in 1998 (590.6 km²). Variable trends in water level and lake area were observed throughout the analysis period, however progressively lower values were observed since 2000. The Landsat derived lake areas show a very strong relationship with actual measured water levels at the Hoover Dam. Yearly water level variations at the dam vary minimally from the satellite derived estimates. A complete (yearly) record of satellite images may have helped to reduce the slight deviations in the time series.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2012 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.