Satellite-derived estimate of artificial lakes in the Phoenix Metropolitan area (2000)

Artificial lakes are a prominent example of a local hydrogeomorphic modification in the Phoenix, Arizona metropolitan area. Although lakes are not a natural feature of Sonoran desert ecosystems, numerous artificial lakes are evident in the region. Here we attempt to quantify the heretofore unknown number and extent of artificial lakes. As official GIS layers from local and state agencies had significant misclassifications and omissions, we used two published land cover datasets to estimate the number and areal extent of artificial lakes. We discovered that there are 908-1,390 lakes in the Phoenix area, with the number varying according to level of aggregation. Accurate data on the extent and distribution of these designed ecosystems is vital for water-resources planning and stormwater management. Results, discussion, and additional details are available in document DOI 10.1007/s11252-011-0208-1.