Publications

Arsen, Adalbert; Cretaux, Jean-Francois; Berge-Nguyen, Muriel; Abarca del Rio, Rodrigo (2014). Remote Sensing-Derived Bathymetry of Lake Poopo. REMOTE SENSING, 6(1), 407-420.

Abstract
Located within the Altiplano at 3,686 m above sea level, Lake Poopo is remarkably shallow and very sensitive to hydrologic recharge. Progressive drying has been observed in the entire Titicaca-Poopo-Desaguadero-Salar de Coipasa (TPDS) system during the last decade, causing dramatic changes to Lake Poopo's surface and its regional water supplies. Our research aims to improve understanding of Lake Poopo water storage capacity. Thus, we propose a new method based on freely available remote sensing data to reproduce Lake Poopo bathymetry. Laser ranging altimeter ICESat (Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite) is used during the lake's lowest stages to measure vertical heights with high precision over dry land. These heights are used to estimate elevations of water contours obtained with Landsat imagery. Contour points with assigned elevation are filtered and grouped in a points cloud. Mesh gridding and interpolation function are then applied to construct 3D bathymetry. Complementary analysis of Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) surfaces from 2000 to 2012 combined with bathymetry gives water levels and storage evolution every 8 days.

DOI:
10.3390/rs6010407

ISSN:
2072-4292