Freshwater Ecosystem Explorer

The Freshwater Ecosystem Explorer is an open access geo-spatial data platform, providing accurate, high-resolution, geospatial depicting the extent to which different types of freshwater ecosystems change over time, within every country in the world. Recognising that freshwater ecosystem are a foundational natural resource providing essential goods and services to billions of people, the Explorer has been developed to help decision-makers readily access and understand dynamic freshwater changes within their country and enable countries to track progress towards the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal Target 6.6.

The satellite data used to monitor freshwater has been disaggregated into ecosystem types. This disaggregation allows for ecosystem-specific decisions to be taken. Data is available for lakes and large rivers, presented as both permanent and seasonal water changes; reservoirs; inland wetlands (combining all peatlands, bogs, marshes, paddies, and fens); and coastal mangroves. Additionally, lake water quality information is available globally for all large lakes presenting changes in turbidity and trophic state. Data can be visualized using geospatial maps with accompanying informational graphics and downloaded at national, sub-national and river basin scales, including transboundary basins. Data are updated annually allowing for up-to-date observations per ecosystem, depicting long-term trends as well as annual and monthly records.