Hossain, FaisalDas, Pritam2025-05-122025-05-122025-05-122025Das_washington_0250E_27891.pdfhttps://hdl.handle.net/1773/52947Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Washington, 2025Humans are storing surface water in reservoirs for consumption, irrigation, energy generation and many other uses at an unprecedented scale. While it is crucial to support the needs of human civilization, operation of reservoirs has many undesired impacts, such as water quality degradation and reduced sediment transport, among many. The operation of reservoirs and the effects remain largely un-studied at global scale due to a lack of observational data from ground measurements. With the recent launch of the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite mission dedicated for tracking surface water combined with the existing fleet of Earth observing satellites, we can now fill this gap in observational record using the vantage of space. This study is therefore driven by the overarching research question 'Regulated Surface Water: How much and where is it flowing?' To answer this question, the study first builds the computational modeling framework to track reservoir state in a manner that is globally scalable, leveraging multiple satellite observations. The Reservoir Assessment Tool version 2.0, based on a multi-sensor reservoir storage estimation technique, is developed as a scalable tool to track the operations of reservoirs at a sub-weekly frequency. Next, an algorithm is developed to estimate reservoir inflow that is regulated by a cascade of upstream and networked dams. The Reservoir Operations driven River Regulation (ResORR) algorithm is developed to account for inflow regulation by upstream dams. Next, the temporal domain of the RAT framework is extended to the near short-term future by forecasting the inflow and the operation of reservoirs based on likely operating scenarios. Finally, the efficacy of the recently launched SWOT satellite in estimating reservoir water storage dynamics is assessed as a global altimeter. Overall, this study paves the way for research and societal applications around the world using satellite remote sensing where understanding and prediction of regulated surface water are critical for responsible stewardship of water resources.application/pdfen-USCC BYFloodsForecastingReservoirsRiver RegulationSatellitesSurface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT)Hydrologic sciencesCivil engineeringThesis