Abstract
For most of the last decade, the south-western portion of the United States has experienced a severe and enduring drought. This has caused serious concerns about water supply and management in the region. In this research, 30 orthorectified Landsat satellite images from the United States Geological Service (USGS) Earth Explorer archive were analyzed for the 1972 to 2009 period. The images encompassed Lake Mead (a major reservoir in this region) and were examined for changes in water surface area. Decadal lake area minimums/maximums were achieved in 1972/1979, 1981/1988, 1991/1998, and 2009/2000. The minimum lake area extent occurred in 2009 (356.4 km2), while the maximum occurred in 1998 (590.6 km2). Variable trends in water level and lake area were observed throughout the analysis period, however progressively lower values were observed since 2000. The Landsat derived lake areas show a very strong relationship with actual measured water levels at the Hoover Dam. Yearly water level variations at the dam vary minimally from the satellite derived estimates. A complete (yearly) record of satellite images may have helped to reduce the slight deviations in the time series.
Highlights
Throughout the last 150 years, the American West has experienced dramatic hydrologic change from environmental factors and anthropogenic activities
The lake area analysis showed that decadal minimums/maximums (Figures 4–7) were achieved in 1972/1979, 1981/1988, 1991/1998, and 2009/2000
12,140 km2 of farmland is irrigated from this supply [1]
Summary
Throughout the last 150 years, the American West has experienced dramatic hydrologic change from environmental factors and anthropogenic activities. The dam functions to control floods and generate power, most essentially, its capacity in a reservoir system prevents drought from negatively effecting agriculture in the southwest [3]. Cities such as Las Vegas, Nevada located approximately 50 km west of Lake Mead are under some restrictions pertaining to water limitations and modifying municipal park water use. These changes and hydrological trends in the American West are due to an extensive drought in this desert environment
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