Review of global in situ data for lakes and reservoirs

Rickards, Nathan ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7303-6739; Chengot, Rishma ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1854-1852; Baron, Helen ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0070-8247; Fry, Matthew ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1142-4039. 2023 Review of global in situ data for lakes and reservoirs. European Environment Agency, 12pp.

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Official URL: https://insitu.copernicus.eu/library/reports

Abstract/Summary

Lakes and reservoirs are vital components of global water resources. Yet, the persistent lack of comprehensive data on their water storage over time is due to limited access to in situ measurements. This data is essential for accurate modelling of hydrological systems, simulation of current operations, and forecasting future water demand and use. In recent years, Earth observations (EO) have emerged as a promising solution to enhance our understanding of various environmental phenomena, including hydrological processes and water resource management. However, the full potential of EO is hindered by limitations in accessing and collecting data from remote and inaccessible regions. This report provides a comprehensive overview of the undertaken task, which aimed to identify and catalogue associated metadata and access requirements for various readily available in situ data sources related to water body levels and/or storage. In response to the increasing utilization of EO-derived water body data in hydrological research, the task also includes relevant portals and links designed to facilitate access to this specific data category. A total of 95 websites and data sources were initially investigated. However, 35 were classified as having 'no data' due to either providing only summary statistics of aggregated reservoir metrics, or having no reservoir data available at all. An additional 9 entries were recorded as having 'other data,' where water body-related information was available, but no actual water storage or levels data. A few portals also required log-in credentials to access data records. Furthermore, 10 satellite-derived data portals were documented. Future steps for this task could involve expanding the catalogue with input from the hydrological community, adding information about the time periods covered by lake records and extracting further details about individual lakes covered, along with links to other lake and reservoir databases. Additionally, efforts could be made to standardise the time-series data from these links into a common file format and centralise them in a repository, all while considering licensing agreements and best practices for data citation.

Item Type:	Publication - Report (Documentation)
UKCEH and CEH Sections/Science Areas:	Water Resources (Science Area 2017-)
Funders/Sponsors:	European Environment Agency
NORA Subject Terms:	Hydrology
Date made live:	18 Apr 2024 08:41 +0 (UTC)
URI:	https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/537299

Item Type:

Publication - Report (Documentation)

UKCEH and CEH Sections/Science Areas:

Water Resources (Science Area 2017-)

Funders/Sponsors:

European Environment Agency

NORA Subject Terms:

Hydrology

Date made live:

18 Apr 2024 08:41 +0 (UTC)

URI:

https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/537299