Development of storage capacity and morphology of the Aswan High Dam Reservoir

Abstract

A digital elevation model (DEM), as well as satellite images, was used to detect the changes in the morphology and storage capacity of the Aswan High Dam Reservoir (AHDR) over the past five decades. Study findings indicate that the total storage capacity of the AHDR estimated by the DEM decreased by 12%. This decrease is mainly in the live and the dead storage capacities. The morphology of the reservoir changed in the southern part and at the entrance of the lacustrine part. A gradual conversion of the entrance to the riverine part was observed. The surface area of the AHDR decreased at low water levels because of sedimentation. The average reduction of the surface area between water levels of 140 and 168 m a.s.l. is about 15%, which is equivalent to almost 10 km3.