ABSTRACT Freshwater wetlands in arid and semi‐arid regions play a critical role in regulating hydrological variability and attenuating flood impacts, yet their functioning remains poorly understood in data‐scarce environments. This study investigates intra‐annual and inter‐annual hydrological variability and flood‐driven connectivity in Haleji Lake, a Ramsar‐designated wetland in southern Pakistan using a 24‐year (2001–2024) satellite‐based analysis of surface water dynamics. Multi‐sensor Landsat observations were used to reconstruct long‐term surface water extent and its temporal evolution. The results reveal a hydrologically stable core lake body accompanied by pronounced seasonal and inter‐annual variability in peripheral inundation zones, reflecting episodic activation of flood‐driven connectivity during extreme hydroclimatic events. Notably, expanded surface water extent and enhanced connectivity were observed during major flood years (2010 and 2022), indicating the sensitivity of wetland hydrological processes to extreme rainfall. Intercomparison of water‐extraction approaches demonstrates consistent detection of these process signals, with conservative delineation of open water enabling robust characterisation of storage and connectivity dynamics. Independent validation using the JRC Global Surface Water dataset confirms the persistence of the core water body and the transient nature of marginal inundation. By explicitly linking long‐term surface water dynamics to hydrological processes of storage regulation and floodplain connectivity, this study provides transferable insights into wetland hydrological functioning. It highlights the value of satellite observations for informing integrated flood risk and water quality management in data‐scarce regions.
Hannan et al. (Sun,) studied this question.