A dataset of spatial-temporal variation of 9 Mother's Lakes water area during 1984-2024

As critical freshwater resources and ecological system carriers, lakes play a vital role in regional water supply, ecological security, and the development of regional economy, society, and culture. However, some lakes are facing the threat of shrinking water surface area due to climate change and human activities. This study focuses on the nine mother lakes identified in the "Mother River Revitalization Action Plan (2022–2025)" issued by the Ministry of Water Resources. Using a combination of satellite data sources, including Landsat-5 TM, Landsat-8/9 OLI, and Sentinel-2 MSI, we extracted the water surface area of these nine mother lakes over a 40-year period from 1984 to 2023, resulting in 4,791 monitoring periods. Validation of this dataset shows an overall accuracy of 94.7%, and a Kappa coefficient of 0.86. This dataset provides valuable data support for the quantitative assessment of the revitalization efforts of the mother lakes.