On the applicability of ICESat-2 and off-nadir SkySAT satellite datasets for the estimation of water storage in medium and small reservoirs at the global scale

Accurate and timely information on water storage changes in medium and small size reservoirs is needed for better water management and understanding of water dynamics on a global scale in general. While changes in surface water extent in these reservoirs can be monitored using satellite missions such as Landsat 8, Sentinel-1, and Sentinel-2, the information on water level and storage dynamics on a global scale is still missing. However, for most reservoirs, these storage changes can be estimated given that an accurate digital elevation model (DEM) is available for a dynamic part of the reservoir - the area covered between the minimum and maximum extents of the reservoir. In this research, we will investigate the applicability of data measured by the ICESat-2 lidar sensor and the off-nadir satellite imagery acquired by Planet’s SkySAT satellites and will evaluate how valuable these datasets are to estimate water storage changes in medium and small size reservoirs.