Image  obtained through GOES-16 Satellite, the first of NOAA’s next generation of geostationary weather satellites.

Satellite information plays a critical role in water monitoring. It provides information on surface water, snow accumulations, groundwater, lakes, seas, oceans, rivers and marine currents. The benefits of this information are many and varied.

For example, marine current information helps determine the best fishing areas and helps to understand the impact of sea currents on beaches.

Space applications have also helped to monitor the movement of glaciers, river delta changes, floods and the detection of leaks in irrigation canals. As well as the mapping of drainage networks and wetland.

Satellite images of sea surface temperature may show patterns of water circulation, temperature changes which can influence the behavior of fish, can cause the bleaching of corals, and affect weather along the coast. Satellite imagery may also be used to map features in the water, such as coral reefs.

Some of the important areas of Satellite Remote Sensing applications related to water resources are:

• Hydrological modeling
• Mapping of surface water resources and irrigation networks
• Ground water prospecting
• Soil moisture estimation