1. Introduction

A Stage Volume Curve or Stage Storage Curve can be used to read which volume of a lake or a pit belongs to a certain water level. It's much easier to measure the water level than the volume, so once the curve is created the volume can be determined in an easy way.

In this tutorial we'll create a Stage Volume Curve for an open pit Lignite mine, but the method is the same for lakes.

After this tutorial you'll be able to

  • calculate the volume below a specific elevation in a DTM
  • create a Stage Volume Curve using PyQGIS