Changes in surface water area (2000–2021) in Chongqing, China

Surface water, as a common freshwater resource, ensures the survival of animals and the stability of human communities. Based on the global surface water dataset generated by the Joint Research Center through the processing of three million Landsat images, this paper analyzed the interannual changes in surface water area in Chongqing, China during 2000-2021. The results showed a significant increase in total surface water area, with permanent surface water area (PSWA)significantly increasing and seasonal surface water area (SSWA) declining. At the county scale, trends in SSWA are more divergent compared to PSWA. Further attribution analysis revealed that human activities dominate the PSWA changes in Chongqing, while human activities and climate change jointly dominate the SSWA changes. This finding will be helpful for the government to better formulate different categories of surface water management policies.