The data

Argonautica provides data every week from water level measurement satellites in ArgoHydro. These data (mainly in the form of evolution curves wrt time) thus show one of the most representative quantities of the variations of lakes and rivers.

For more information see:
• What the figures show
• Data sources used by Argonautica to plot the figures

What the figures show

The figures correspond to all available measurements from the first measurement to the date of the most recent measurement. For satellite measurements, these dates depend on the satellite(s) used, and how long it takes to return above the same point on Earth.

Water heights

The level of lakes and rivers is related to their water supply and its variations; it reflects the amount of water available, and also the flow for rivers. Variations in this height have important impacts on agriculture, fauna and flora, certain energy sources (hydroelectricity, cooling of power plants), the availability of drinking water, and can cause significant damage in case of floods. Their monitoring over several years makes it possible to observe seasonal cycles and more or less extreme variations from one year to the next.

More on water heights

 

Data sources

Altimetry satellites

Altimeters are radar payloads on satellites that measure the height of the water, over ocean but also rivers and lakes.
Today, several operational satellites are used to calculate the data plotted for Argonautica.

More information on altimeters