A dataset of annual surface water distribution in the Yellow River Basin (1986–2023)

Accurate mapping of surface water distribution in the Yellow River Basin is of great significance for effective water resource management, ecological environment protection, and flood prevention. However, there is a lack of precise long-term dataset of surface water distribution currently in the Yellow River Basin. To address this issue, using the Google Earth Engine (GEE) cloud computing platform, we integrated multi-source Landsat satellite (Landsat-5/7/8/9) remote sensing imagery to develop a surface water extraction algorithm for the Yellow River Basin in this study. Based on this algorithm, we further produced a dataset of annual surface water distribution in the Yellow River Basin from 1986 to 2023, including Surface Water Frequency (WBF) data and Surface Water Category (SWC) data. The accuracy assessment of the water extraction results showed an overall accuracy (OA) of 97.60% and a Kappa coefficient of 0.95. Additionally, when compared with the Global Surface Water dataset (GSW) in the Yellow River Basin, the SWC data demonstrated superior performance in certain areas. The dataset produced in this study can assist the government and the public in addressing the growing water demand and water security challenges in the Yellow River Basin.