Estimation of evaporation in reservoirs using remote sensing and meteorological data: methods, accuracy and applications

Abstract

Evaporation from the water surface represents a significant and frequently underestimated loss of the volume stored in reservoirs, with direct repercussions on supply reliability. This study aimed to analyze, in recent scientific literature, the methods that combine remote sensing and meteorological data to estimate evaporation in reservoirs, as well as the accuracy achieved and the applications proposed. This is an integrative literature review conducted in the Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, Capes Journal Portal and SciELO databases, covering the period from 2021 to 2026, with reporting guided by the PRISMA 2020 statement. After identification, screening and eligibility assessment, 18 studies composed the final sample. The findings indicated that water surface temperature obtained from thermal sensors is the link connecting orbital observation to aerodynamic and energy balance formulations, with root mean square error between 0.8 and 1.83 degrees Celsius. Evaporation estimates showed root mean square error between 0.27 and 1.50 millimeter per day. Two results proved transversal: wind speed accounts for the largest share of instantaneous error, and variation in inundated area, rather than variation in rate, governs the evaporated volume. It is concluded that quantification must be expressed as volume and that the spatial resolution of the inundated area conditions the reliability of the result.