High‐resolution mapping of the world's reservoirs and dams for sustainable river‐flow management

Despite the recognized importance of reservoirs and dams, global datasets describing their characteristics and geographical distribution are largely incomplete. To enable advanced assessments of the role and effects of dams within the global river network and to support strategies for mitigating ecohydrological and socioeconomic costs, we introduce here the spatially explicit and hydrologically linked Global Reservoir and Dam database (GRanD). As of early 2011, GRanD contains information regarding 6862 dams and their associated reservoirs, with a total storage capacity of 6197 km 3 . On the basis of these records, we estimate that about 16.7 million reservoirs larger than 0.01 ha – with a combined storage…