Feasibility Study of Quadratic Spectral Parameters for Extraction of Water Zones Using Landsat Satellite Images (Case study: Lake Lar Dam)

The signs and symptoms of the water crisis in Iran appear to lead to the decline in groundwater levels, land subsidence, soil erosion, dust storms, and the drying of wetlands, rivers and lakes. In this situation, the accurate identification and conservation of water resources is essential to reduce the effects of water scarcity. This research was conducted to better identify the water areas and assess the accuracy of aqueous clearances from non-aquatic environments using spectral measurements of distance from the Lar dam in the southwest of Damavand Peak. Four NDVI, NDWI Gao, NDWI McFeeters and MNDWI spectral indices were used to identify the water mass and distinguish it from other natural and artificial effects on Landsat 8 and Sentinel2 images. The results show the highest overall accuracy is related to the MNDWIindex and the lowest overall accuracy is related to the NDWI Gao index. The kappa coefficient also represents a better separation of water zones from land in the MNDWI index. It is suggested that similar investigations be carried out in different areas of the country simultaneously to identify the aquifers so that the spectral indexes can be studied and evaluated more appropriately due to changing environmental conditions.