Elsahabi et al. (2026) Evaluating evaporation and seepage losses in lakes using sentinel images and the water balance equation

Identification

• Journal: Applied Water Science
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-03-09
• Authors: Mohamed Elsahabi, Raouf Hassan, Mohamed Farouk, Mohamed Hussein, Mohamed Fekry, Hickmat Hossen
• DOI: 10.1007/s13201-026-02805-1

Research Groups

• Civil Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Aswan University, Aswan, Egypt
• Civil Engineering Department, College of Engineering, Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University (IMSIU), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
• College of Engineering, Deanship of Scientific Research, Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University (IMSIU), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Short Summary

This study assessed evaporation and seepage losses in Aswan High Dam Lake (AHDL) by integrating Sentinel-3 imagery, field data, and the water balance equation, demonstrating the method's reliability for estimating these water losses and evaporation rates.

Objective

• To assess changes in the water capacity of Aswan High Dam Lake (AHDL) due to evaporation and seepage losses.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Aswan High Dam Lake (AHDL), Egypt.
• Temporal Scale: Monthly estimates for the years 2021 and 2022.

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Water balance equation.
• Data sources: Sentinel-3 imagery (for surface area extraction), field data.

Main Results

• The average monthly evaporation losses for 2021 were approximately 1.41 billion cubic meters (Bm³), representing a 2.92% overestimation compared to the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation (MWRI) estimates of 1.37 Bm³.
• The average monthly seepage losses for 2022 were estimated at 0.005 Bm³, reflecting an 8.70% overestimation compared to MWRI's reported 0.0046 Bm³.
• The average monthly evaporation rate within AHDL was 210.88 mm/month, closely matching the Aswan High Dam Authority’s (AHDA) computed value of approximately 204.9 mm/month.

Contributions

This study demonstrates that the water balance method, when integrated with remote sensing (Sentinel-3 imagery) and field data, serves as a reliable and validated tool for accurately estimating monthly evaporation and seepage losses, as well as evaporation rates in large reservoir systems like the Aswan High Dam Lake.

Funding

• Deanship of Scientific Research at Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University (IMSIU) (grant number IMSIU-DDRSP2602).

Citation

@article{Elsahabi2026Evaluating,
  author = {Elsahabi, Mohamed and Hassan, Raouf and Farouk, Mohamed and Hussein, Mohamed and Fekry, Mohamed and Hossen, Hickmat},
  title = {Evaluating evaporation and seepage losses in lakes using sentinel images and the water balance equation},
  journal = {Applied Water Science},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1007/s13201-026-02805-1},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1007/s13201-026-02805-1}
}