Analysis of the water volume, length, total area and inundated area of the Three Gorges Reservoir, China using the SRTM DEM data

Abstract

Using the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) digital elevation model (DEM) data covering the region of the Three Gorges Reservoir, Changjiang, China, we have computed the water volume, length, and total and inundated areas of the reservoir, with the assumption that the water surface within the reservoir is flat. When the reservoir's surface water level is 175 m above the mean sea level, the computed values may be comparable to the official data published by the Chinese government.

Acknowledgment

This study is supported by the 973 Program of China through the contract (No. 2003CB415205) to the Wuhan University, China, and by the Center for Geographic Information Science of the East Carolina University, North Carolina, USA.