Quantitative assessment of Urmia Lake water using spaceborne multisensor data and 3D modeling

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Hydrology
• Remote Sensing

Background:

• Aquatic ecosystem preservation is vital in arid regions, especially with climate change.
• Urmia Lake, Iran's largest, has experienced a severe water level decline, raising environmental concerns.
• Lake restoration efforts hinge on accurately determining the required water volume.

Purpose of the Study:

• To monitor and assess Urmia Lake's status over 30 years (1984-2014) using remote sensing.
• To develop a novel method for generating a lakebed digital elevation model (LBDEM).
• To calculate the water volume needed for Urmia Lake's restoration to its ecological level.

Main Methods:

• Utilized time-series Landsat satellite imagery and field measurements.
• Employed remote sensing techniques, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and 3D modeling.
• Generated a lakebed digital elevation model (LBDEM) to calculate water volume.

Main Results:

• Significant changes in Urmia Lake's area and volume were observed between 1998 and 2014.
• The lake lost 86% of its area, becoming a salt desert.
• Lake water volume in 2013 was only 0.83% of its 1998 volume.

Conclusions:

• Restoring Urmia Lake to its ecological water level (1274.10 m) requires 12.546 billion cubic meters of water, excluding evaporation.
• The proposed LBDEM method provides a valuable tool for environmental monitoring and assessment.
• Findings can aid national and international organizations in Urmia Lake's management and decision-making.