Enhanced water level monitoring for small and complex inland water bodies using multi-satellite remote sensing

Abstract

Water level monitoring in lakes and reservoirs is essential for effective water resource management, especially in remote areas where traditional ground sensors are costly and difficult to maintain. Remote sensing offers an alternative, but improving the quality, resolution, and accuracy of satellite data remains crucial. This paper introduces MoRLa (Measurement of Reservoir Level from Altimetry), a data filtering procedure designed to enhance satellite altimetry retrievals. MoRLa increases the acceptance of satellite observations and improves the quality of water level estimates by using physical characteristics of water bodies to exclude non-conforming measurements. Unlike previous studies with static masks, MoRLa employs a dynamic filter adaptable to actual water levels at specific times. Tested on reservoirs in the Korean Peninsula, including the Hwang-Gang dam, MoRLa shows significant improvements in water level measurements using Cryosat-2, ICESat-2, and Sentinel-3A and B satellites.