Detail Abstract

Analysis of Lake Surface Water Temperature Spatial Trend in Tonlé Sap using MODIS

Abstract

Tonlé Sap lake is the largest and the most productive freshwater lake in Southeast Asia, providing food for millions of people residing in and around the lake. Thus, monitoring the lake is a crucial task, as the impact of climate change in the future could disrupt its ecosystem services. Lake surface water temperature (LSWT) is considered as an essential climate variable and an important indicator for lake management. In contrast, the number of available monitoring stations, especially for LSWT, is limited and poorly distributed in proportion to the size and shape of the lake. For this reason, analysis solely based on the observations from the stations is not sufficient to capture spatial and temporal trends exhibited locally.</br>   In recent decades, remote sensing data has become a cost-effective input for researchers and decision makers to detect changes due to its spatiotemporal coverage and accessibility. By leveraging the satellite observation data, this study provides a spatial and temporal trend analysis of LSWT and land surface temperature (LST) in Tonlé Sap floodplain and surrounding area using MODIS product. In addition, other climate variables such as air temperature and wind were also examined to quantify their influences on LSWT.