ASSESSMENT OF SURFACE WATER AT THE SOBRADINHO RESERVOIR UNDER THE EFFECTS OF DROUGHT USING MULTI-TEMPORAL LANDSAT IMAGES
The matrix of energy generation in Brazil is predominantly hydroelectric power. Consequently, the reservoirs need constant monitoring due to the large volume of artificially dammed water. Images from remote sensing can provide reliable information concerning water bodies. In this paper, we use rem...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Copernicus Publications
2016-06-01
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| Series: | The International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences |
| Online Access: | https://www.int-arch-photogramm-remote-sens-spatial-inf-sci.net/XLI-B8/387/2016/isprs-archives-XLI-B8-387-2016.pdf |
| Summary: | The matrix of energy generation in Brazil is predominantly hydroelectric power. Consequently, the reservoirs need constant
monitoring due to the large volume of artificially dammed water. Images from remote sensing can provide reliable information
concerning water bodies. In this paper, we use remote sensing imagery to monitor the Sobradinho dam in three different epochs. The
objective was to verify quantitatively the area of the dam’s surface reduced due to the drought of 2015, which was considered the
worst in history. The approach used water surface area estimations from bands of Landsat5 and Landsat8 satellites which highlight
water bodies better from other features present on surface of the Earth. Through the techniques of growth region and normalized
difference water index (NDWI), we determined the surface area of the reservoir in 2011 and calculated the decrease caused by the
drought. By analyzing the numbers provided by the results it is possible to estimate how the Sobradinho reservoir has been affected
by the drastic drought. The results show that the Landsat images enable the monitoring of large reservoirs. Bearing in mind that
monitoring is a primary and indispensable tool, not only for technical study, but also for economic and environmental research, it can
help establish planning projects and water administration strategies for future decisions about the hydrical resource priority. |
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| ISSN: | 1682-1750 2194-9034 |