Desegregation of remote sensing and GIS to characterize fluctuations in the surface water area of Afar Lakes, Ethiopia

AbstractSurface water reservoirs in Afar play an imperative role in water resource economics in Ethiopia. Salt mining, fishing, and recreation are the major practices in Afar lakes. However, Ethiopia is prone to seismic, volcanic, and drought hazards due to its geologic setting and geographic location. This study incorporates remote sensing and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to investigate oscillations in the surface water area in Afar lakes during 1998-2016. In this investigation, a GIS density slicer technique is employed to classify the near infrared bands from Landsat 5, 7, and 8, and then a time series of Landsat measurements has been created to monitor the spatio-temporal variations in each lake. Ultimately, the relationship between lake area changes and seismic, magmatic, and climatic records has been examined. Change patterns and rates indicate that all Afar lakes are influenced notably by climate factors and are not affected by local seismic and magmatic activities.