Bathymetric and Capacity Relationships Based on Sentinel-3 Mission Data for Aswan High Dam Lake, Egypt

Aswan High Dam Lake (AHDL) is one of the most relevant hot spots at both local and global levels after construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) was announced. The management of AHDL is a vital task, which requires the input of reliable information such as the lake bathymetry, water level, and the water surface area. Traditional, bathymetric methods are still very expensive and difficult to operate. Nowadays, satellite data and remote sensing techniques are easily accessible. In particular, datasets produced by operational missions are freely and globally available, and may provide efficient and inexpensive solutions for the retrieval of quantitative parameters concerning strategic water bodies, such as AHDL. This work identifies the performance of Sentinel-3A optical imagery data in the visible and NIR bands from the two optical instruments SLSTR and OLCI, and proposes the integration with Sentinel-3A radar altimetry from SRAL instrument applied to AHDL. This preliminary and first study investigated the relationship between the reflectance data and in situ data for water depth after a bathymetric campaign in the deep-water region using statistical regression models. These statistical models showed promising results in terms of correlation value (R2 > 0.8) and normalized root mean square errors (NRMSE < 0.4). Also, Heron’s formula was applied to combine optical imagery and Sentinel-3 altimetry water level datasets to estimate water storage variations in AHDL. In addition, equations governing the relationship between water level, water surface area, and water volume were analyzed. The work is very useful for all authorities and stakeholders dealing with large water bodies.