1
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Humphrey V, Rodell M, Eicker A. Using Satellite-Based Terrestrial Water Storage Data: A Review. Surv Geophys 2023; 44:1489-1517. [PMID: 37771629 PMCID: PMC10522521 DOI: 10.1007/s10712-022-09754-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2022] [Accepted: 11/23/2022] [Indexed: 09/30/2023]
Abstract
Land water storage plays a key role for the Earth's climate, natural ecosystems, and human activities. Since the launch of the first Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) mission in 2002, spaceborne observations of changes in terrestrial water storage (TWS) have provided a unique, global perspective on natural and human-induced changes in freshwater resources. Even though they have become much used within the broader Earth system science community, space-based TWS datasets still incorporate important and case-specific limitations which may not always be clear to users not familiar with the underlying processing algorithms. Here, we provide an accessible and illustrated overview of the measurement concept, of the main available data products, and of some frequently encountered technical terms and concepts. We summarize concrete recommendations on how to use TWS data in combination with other hydrological or climatological datasets, and guidance on how to avoid possible pitfalls. Finally, we provide an overview of some of the main applications of GRACE TWS data in the fields of hydrology and climate science. This review is written with the intention of supporting future research and facilitating the use of satellite-based terrestrial water storage datasets in interdisciplinary contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincent Humphrey
- Department of Geography, University of Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland
- Institute for Atmospheric and Climate Science, ETH Zürich, Universitätstrasse 16, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Matthew Rodell
- Earth Sciences Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771 USA
| | - Annette Eicker
- HafenCity University Hamburg, Überseeallee 16, 20457 Hamburg, Germany
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2
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Bhanja SN, Mukherjee A, Rodell M. Groundwater storage change detection from in situ and GRACE-based estimates in major river basins across India. Hydrol Sci J 2020; 65:650-659. [PMID: 33012940 PMCID: PMC7526560 DOI: 10.1080/02626667.2020.1716238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2018] [Accepted: 12/03/2019] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
India has been the subject of many recent groundwater studies due to the rapid depletion of groundwater in large parts of the country. However, few if any of these studies have examined groundwater storage conditions in all of India's river basins individually. Herein we assess groundwater storage changes in all 22 of India's major river basins using in situ data from 3420 observation locations for the period 2003-2014. One-month and 12-month standardized precipitation index measures (SPI-1 and SPI-12) indicate fluctuations in the long-term pattern. The Ganges and Brahmaputra basins experienced long-term decreasing trends in precipitation in both 1961-2014 and the study period, 2003-2014. Indeterminate or increasing precipitation trends occurred in other basins. Satellite-based and in situ groundwater storage time series exhibited similar patterns, with increases in most of the basins. However, diminishing groundwater storage (at rates of >0.4 km3/year) was revealed in the Ganges-Brahmaputra river basin based on in situ observations, which is particularly important due to its agricultural productivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soumendra N. Bhanja
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, West Bengal 721302, India
- Interdisciplinary Centre for Water Research, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, Karnataka 560054, India
| | - Abhijit Mukherjee
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, West Bengal 721302, India
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, West Bengal 721302, India
| | - Matthew Rodell
- Hydrological Sciences Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, USA
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3
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Getirana A, Rodell M, Kumar S, Beaudoing HK, Arsenault K, Zaitchik B, Save H, Bettadpur S. GRACE improves seasonal groundwater forecast initialization over the U.S. J Hydrometeorol 2020; 21:59-71. [PMID: 32905519 PMCID: PMC7473395 DOI: 10.1175/jhm-d-19-0096.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
We evaluate the impact of Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment data assimilation (GRACE-DA) on seasonal hydrological forecast initialization over the U.S., focusing on groundwater storage. GRACE-based terrestrial water storage (TWS) estimates are assimilated into a land surface model for the 2003-2016 period. Three-month hindcast (i.e., forecast of past events) simulations are initialized using states from the reference (no data assimilation) and GRACE-DA runs. Differences between the two initial hydrological condition (IHC) sets are evaluated for two forecast techniques at 305 wells where depth-to-water-table measurements are available. Results show that using GRACE-DA-based IHC improves seasonal groundwater forecast performance in terms of both RMSE and correlation. While most regions show improvement, degradation is common in the High Plains, where withdrawals for irrigation practices affect groundwater variability more strongly than the weather variability, which demonstrates the need for simulating such activities. These findings contribute to recent efforts towards an improved U.S. drought monitor and forecast system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Augusto Getirana
- Hydrological Sciences Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD
- Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD
| | - Matthew Rodell
- Hydrological Sciences Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD
| | - Sujay Kumar
- Hydrological Sciences Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD
| | - Hiroko Kato Beaudoing
- Hydrological Sciences Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD
- Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD
| | - Kristi Arsenault
- Hydrological Sciences Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD
- Science Applications International Corporation, Reston, VA
| | - Benjamin Zaitchik
- Department of Earth and Planetary Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
| | - Himanshu Save
- Center for Space Research, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX
| | - Srinivas Bettadpur
- Center for Space Research, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX
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4
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Jasinski MF, Borak JS, Kumar SV, Mocko DM, Peters-Lidard CD, Rodell M, Rui H, Beaudoing HK, Vollmer BE, Arsenault KR, Li B, Bolten JD, Tangdamrongsub N. NCA-LDAS: Overview and Analysis of Hydrologic Trends for the National Climate Assessment. J Hydrometeorol 2019; 20:1595-1617. [PMID: 32908457 PMCID: PMC7477810 DOI: 10.1175/jhm-d-17-0234.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Terrestrial hydrologic trends over the conterminous United States are estimated for 1980-2015 using the National Climate Assessment Land Data Assimilation System (NCA-LDAS) reanalysis. NCA-LDAS employs the uncoupled Noah version 3.3 land surface model at 0.125°× 1258° forced with NLDAS-2 meteorology, rescaled Climate Prediction Center precipitation, and assimilated satellite-based soil moisture, snow depth, and irrigation products. Mean annual trends are reported using the nonparametric Mann-Kendall test at p < 0.1 significance. Results illustrate the interrelationship between regional gradients in forcing trends and trends in other land energy and water stores and fluxes. Mean precipitation trends range from +3 to +9 mm yr-1 in the upper Great Plains and Northeast to -1 to -9 mm yr-1 in the West and South, net radiation flux trends range from 10.05 to 10.20 W m-2 yr-1 in the East to -0.05 to -0.20 W m-2 yr-1 in the West, and U.S.-wide temperature trends average about +0.03 K yr-1. Trends in soil moisture, snow cover, latent and sensible heat fluxes, and runoff are consistent with forcings, contributing to increasing evaporative fraction trends from west to east. Evaluation of NCA-LDAS trends compared to independent data indicates mixed results. The RMSE of U.S.-wide trends in number of snow cover days improved from 3.13 to 2.89 days yr-1 while trend detection increased 11%. Trends in latent heat flux were hardly affected, with RMSE decreasing only from 0.17 to 0.16 W m-2 yr-1, while trend detection increased 2%. NCA-LDAS runoff trends degraded significantly from 2.6 to 16.1 mm yr-1 while trend detection was unaffected. Analysis also indicated that NCA-LDAS exhibits relatively more skill in low precipitation station density areas, suggesting there are limits to the effectiveness of satellite data assimilation in densely gauged regions. Overall, NCA-LDAS demonstrates capability for quantifying physically consistent, U.S. hydrologic climate trends over the satellite era.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael F. Jasinski
- Hydrological Sciences Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland
| | - Jordan S. Borak
- Hydrological Sciences Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland
- Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, College Park, Maryland
| | - Sujay V. Kumar
- Hydrological Sciences Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland
| | - David M. Mocko
- Hydrological Sciences Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland
- Science Applications International Corporation, Greenbelt, Maryland
- Global Modeling and Assimilation Office, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland
| | | | - Matthew Rodell
- Hydrological Sciences Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland
| | - Hualan Rui
- NASA Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center, Greenbelt, Maryland
- ADNET Systems, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Hiroko K. Beaudoing
- Hydrological Sciences Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland
- Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, College Park, Maryland
| | - Bruce E. Vollmer
- NASA Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center, Greenbelt, Maryland
| | - Kristi R. Arsenault
- Hydrological Sciences Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland
- Science Applications International Corporation, Greenbelt, Maryland
| | - Bailing Li
- Hydrological Sciences Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland
- Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, College Park, Maryland
| | - John D. Bolten
- Hydrological Sciences Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland
| | - Natthachet Tangdamrongsub
- Hydrological Sciences Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland
- Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, College Park, Maryland
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5
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Tapley BD, Watkins MM, Flechtner F, Reigber C, Bettadpur S, Rodell M, Sasgen I, Famiglietti JS, Landerer FW, Chambers DP, Reager JT, Gardner AS, Save H, Ivins ER, Swenson SC, Boening C, Dahle C, Wiese DN, Dobslaw H, Tamisiea ME, Velicogna I. Contributions of GRACE to understanding climate change. Nat Clim Chang 2019; 5:358-369. [PMID: 31534490 PMCID: PMC6750016 DOI: 10.1038/s41558-019-0456-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 102] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2018] [Accepted: 03/12/2019] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Time-resolved satellite gravimetry has revolutionized understanding of mass transport in the Earth system. Since 2002, the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) has enabled monitoring of the terrestrial water cycle, ice sheet and glacier mass balance, sea level change and ocean bottom pressure variations and understanding responses to changes in the global climate system. Initially a pioneering experiment of geodesy, the time-variable observations have matured into reliable mass transport products, allowing assessment and forecast of a number of important climate trends and improve service applications such as the U.S. Drought Monitor. With the successful launch of the GRACE Follow-On mission, a multi decadal record of mass variability in the Earth system is within reach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Byron D. Tapley
- Center for Space Research, University of Texas, 3825 Breaker Lane, Suite 200, Austin, Texas 78759, USA
| | - Michael M. Watkins
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, California 91109, USA
| | - Frank Flechtner
- Department of Geodesy, GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
- Department of Geodesy and Geoinformation Science, Technical University Berlin, Straße des 17. Juni 135, 10623 Berlin, Germany
| | - Christoph Reigber
- Department of Geodesy, GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Srinivas Bettadpur
- Center for Space Research, University of Texas, 3825 Breaker Lane, Suite 200, Austin, Texas 78759, USA
| | - Matthew Rodell
- Hydrological Sciences Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, USA
| | - Ingo Sasgen
- Division of Climate Sciences, Alfred Wegener Institute, Bussestraße 24, 27570 Bremerhaven, Germany
| | - James S. Famiglietti
- Global Institute for Water Security, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - Felix W. Landerer
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, California 91109, USA
| | - Don P. Chambers
- College of Marine Science, University of South Florida, 140 7th Ave S, St. Petersburg, Florida 33701, USA
| | - John T. Reager
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, California 91109, USA
| | - Alex S. Gardner
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, California 91109, USA
| | - Himanshu Save
- Center for Space Research, University of Texas, 3825 Breaker Lane, Suite 200, Austin, Texas 78759, USA
| | - Erik R. Ivins
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, California 91109, USA
| | - Sean C. Swenson
- Climate and Global Dynamics Laboratory, National Center for Atmospheric Research, 1850 Table Mesa Dr, Boulder, Colorado 80305, USA
| | - Carmen Boening
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, California 91109, USA
| | - Christoph Dahle
- Department of Geodesy, GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
| | - David N. Wiese
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, California 91109, USA
| | - Henryk Dobslaw
- Department of Geodesy, GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Mark E. Tamisiea
- Center for Space Research, University of Texas, 3825 Breaker Lane, Suite 200, Austin, Texas 78759, USA
| | - Isabella Velicogna
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, California 91109, USA
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6
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Uz SS, Ruane AC, Duncan BN, Tucker CJ, Huffman GJ, Mladenova IE, Osmanoglu B, Holmes TR, McNally A, Peters-Lidard C, Bolten JD, Das N, Rodell M, McCartney S, Anderson MC, Doorn B. Earth observations and integrative models in support of food and water security. Remote Sens Earth Syst Sci 2019; 2:18-38. [PMID: 33005873 PMCID: PMC7526267 DOI: 10.1007/s41976-019-0008-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2018] [Revised: 12/26/2018] [Accepted: 01/17/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Global food production depends upon many factors that Earth observing satellites routinely measure about water, energy, weather, and ecosystems. Increasingly sophisticated, publicly-available satellite data products can improve efficiencies in resource management and provide earlier indication of environmental disruption. Satellite remote sensing provides a consistent, long-term record that can be used effectively to detect large-scale features over time, such as a developing drought. Accuracy and capabilities have increased along with the range of Earth observations and derived products that can support food security decisions with actionable information. This paper highlights major capabilities facilitated by satellite observations and physical models that have been developed and validated using remotely-sensed observations. Although we primarily focus on variables relevant to agriculture, we also include a brief description of the growing use of Earth observations in support of aquaculture and fisheries.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Alex C. Ruane
- NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, Climate Impacts Group, New York, NY, USA
| | | | | | | | - Iliana E. Mladenova
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA
- Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | | | | | - Amy McNally
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA
- Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | | | | | - Narendra Das
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | | | - Sean McCartney
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA
- Science Systems and Applications, Inc., Lanham, MD, USA
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7
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Rodell M, Famiglietti JS, Wiese DN, Reager JT, Beaudoing HK, Landerer FW, Lo MH. Author Correction: Emerging trends in global freshwater availability. Nature 2019; 565:E7. [PMID: 30604767 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-018-0831-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
In Fig. 2 of this Analysis, the tick-mark labels on the colour bars in the second and third images from the top were inadvertently swapped. In addition, the citation at the end of the sentence, "On a monthly basis GRACE can resolve TWS changes with sufficient accuracy over scales that range from approximately 200,000 km2 at low latitudes to about 90,000 km2 near the poles" should be to ref. 4 not ref. 1. These errors have been corrected online.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Rodell
- Hydrological Sciences Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA.
| | - J S Famiglietti
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA.,Global Institute for Water Security, School of Environment and Sustainability, and Department of Geography and Planning, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada
| | - D N Wiese
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - J T Reager
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - H K Beaudoing
- Hydrological Sciences Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA.,Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - F W Landerer
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - M-H Lo
- Department of Atmospheric Sciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
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8
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Toure AM, Luojus K, Rodell M, Beaudoing H, Getirana A. Evaluation of Simulated Snow and Snowmelt Timing in the Community Land Model Using Satellite-based Products and Streamflow Observations. J Adv Model Earth Syst 2018; 10:2933-2951. [PMID: 30949292 PMCID: PMC6443257 DOI: 10.1029/2018ms001389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2018] [Accepted: 11/02/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to evaluate snow and snowmelt simulated by version 4 of the Community Land Model (CLM4). We performed uncoupled CLM4 simulations, forced by Modem-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications Land-only (MERRA-Land) meteorological fields. GlobSnow snow cover fraction (SCF), snow water equivalent (SWE) and satellite-based passive microwave (PMW) snowmelt-off day of year (MoD) data were used to evaluate SCF, SWE, and snowmelt simulations. Simulated runoff was then fed into a river routing scheme and evaluation was performed at 408 snow-dominated catchments using gauge observations. CLM4 and GlobSnow snow cover extent showed a strong agreement, especially during the peak snow cover months. Overall there was a good correlation between simulated and observed SWE (correlation coefficient, R = 0.6). Simulated and observed SWE were similar over areas with relatively flat terrain and moderate forest density. The simulated MoD agreed (MoD differences (CLM4-PMW) = +/-7 days) with observations over 39.4% of the study domain. Snowmelt-off occurred earlier in the model compared to the observations over 39.5 % of the domain and later over 21.1% of the domain. Large differences of MoD were seen in the areas with complex terrain and dense forest cover. We also found that, although streamflow seasonal phase was accurately modeled (R=0.9), the peaks controlled by snowmelt were underestimated. Routed CLM4 streamflow tended to occur early (by 10 days on average).
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Affiliation(s)
- Ally M Toure
- Wifrid Laurier University, Department of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
| | - Kari Luojus
- Finnish Meteorological Institute, Erik Palmenin Aukio 1, FI-00560, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Matthew Rodell
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Hydrological Sciences Laboratory, Code 617, 8800 Greenbelt Road, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
| | - Hiroko Beaudoing
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Hydrological Sciences Laboratory, Code 617, 8800 Greenbelt Road, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
- Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center (ESSIC), University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Augusto Getirana
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Hydrological Sciences Laboratory, Code 617, 8800 Greenbelt Road, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
- Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center (ESSIC), University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
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9
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Rodell M, Famiglietti JS, Wiese DN, Reager JT, Beaudoing HK, Landerer FW, Lo MH. Emerging trends in global freshwater availability. Nature 2018; 557:651-659. [PMID: 29769728 PMCID: PMC6077847 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-018-0123-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 298] [Impact Index Per Article: 49.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2017] [Accepted: 03/12/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Freshwater availability is changing worldwide. Here we quantify 34 trends in terrestrial water storage observed by the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellites during 2002-2016 and categorize their drivers as natural interannual variability, unsustainable groundwater consumption, climate change or combinations thereof. Several of these trends had been lacking thorough investigation and attribution, including massive changes in northwestern China and the Okavango Delta. Others are consistent with climate model predictions. This observation-based assessment of how the world's water landscape is responding to human impacts and climate variations provides a blueprint for evaluating and predicting emerging threats to water and food security.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Rodell
- Hydrological Sciences Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA.
| | - J S Famiglietti
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
- Global Institute for Water Security, School of Environment and Sustainability, and Department of Geography and Planning, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada
| | - D N Wiese
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - J T Reager
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - H K Beaudoing
- Hydrological Sciences Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA
- Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - F W Landerer
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - M-H Lo
- Department of Atmospheric Sciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
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10
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Abstract
Freshwater availability is changing worldwide. Here we quantify 34 trends in terrestrial water storage observed by the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellites during 2002-2016 and categorize their drivers as natural interannual variability, unsustainable groundwater consumption, climate change or combinations thereof. Several of these trends had been lacking thorough investigation and attribution, including massive changes in northwestern China and the Okavango Delta. Others are consistent with climate model predictions. This observation-based assessment of how the world's water landscape is responding to human impacts and climate variations provides a blueprint for evaluating and predicting emerging threats to water and food security.
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Affiliation(s)
- M. Rodell
- Hydrological Sciences Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, USA
| | - J.S. Famiglietti
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - D.N. Wiese
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - J.T. Reager
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - H.K. Beaudoing
- Hydrological Sciences Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, USA,Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA
| | - F.W. Landerer
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - M.-H. Lo
- Department of Atmospheric Sciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
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11
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Bernknopf R, Brookshire D, Kuwayama Y, Macauley M, Rodell M, Thompson A, Vail P, Zaitchik B. The Value of Remotely Sensed Information: The Case of GRACE-Enhanced Drought Severity Index. Weather Clim Soc 2018; 10:187-203. [PMID: 29643983 PMCID: PMC5889944 DOI: 10.1175/wcas-d-16-0044.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
A decision framework is developed for quantifying the economic value of information (VOI) from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellite mission for drought monitoring, with a focus on the potential contributions of groundwater storage and soil moisture measurements from the GRACE Data Assimilation (GRACE-DA) System. The study consists of: (a) the development of a conceptual framework to evaluate the socioeconomic value of GRACE-DA as a contributing source of information to drought monitoring; (b) structured listening sessions to understand the needs of stakeholders who are affected by drought monitoring; (c) econometric analysis based on the conceptual framework that characterizes the contribution of GRACE-DA to the US Drought Monitor (USDM) in capturing the effects of drought on the agricultural sector; and (d) a demonstration of how the improved characterization of drought conditions may influence decisions made in a real-world drought disaster assistance program. Results show that GRACE-DA has the potential to lower the uncertainty associated with our understanding of drought, and that this improved understanding has the potential to change policy decisions that lead to tangible societal benefits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard Bernknopf
- Department of Economics, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131, United States
| | - David Brookshire
- Department of Economics, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131, United States
| | - Yusuke Kuwayama
- Resources for the Future, Washington, District of Columbia 20036, United States
| | - Molly Macauley
- Resources for the Future, Washington, District of Columbia 20036, United States
| | - Matthew Rodell
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, United States
| | - Alexandra Thompson
- Resources for the Future, Washington, District of Columbia 20036, United States
| | - Peter Vail
- Resources for the Future, Washington, District of Columbia 20036, United States
| | - Benjamin Zaitchik
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, United States
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12
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Jensen D, Reager JT, Zajic B, Rousseau N, Rodell M, Hinkley E. The sensitivity of US wildfire occurrence to pre-season soil moisture conditions across ecosystems. Environ Res Lett 2018; 13:014021. [PMID: 29479372 PMCID: PMC5822439 DOI: 10.1088/1748-9326/aa9853] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
It is generally accepted that year-to-year variability in moisture conditions and drought are linked with increased wildfire occurrence. However, quantifying the sensitivity of wildfire to surface moisture state at seasonal lead-times has been challenging due to the absence of a long soil moisture record with the appropriate coverage and spatial resolution for continental-scale analysis. Here we apply model simulations of surface soil moisture that numerically assimilate observations from NASA's Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) mission with the US Forest Service's historical Fire-Occurrence Database over the contiguous United States. We quantify the relationships between pre-fire-season soil moisture and subsequent-year wildfire occurrence by land-cover type and produce annual probable wildfire occurrence and burned area maps at 0.25-degree resolution. Cross-validated results generally indicate a higher occurrence of smaller fires when months preceding fire season are wet, while larger fires are more frequent when soils are dry. This result is consistent with the concept of increased fuel accumulation under wet conditions in the pre-season. These results demonstrate the fundamental strength of the relationship between soil moisture and fire activity at long lead-times and are indicative of that relationship's utility for the future development of national-scale predictive capability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Jensen
- NASA DEVELOP National Program, Science Systems and Applications, Inc
| | - John T. Reager
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - Brittany Zajic
- NASA DEVELOP National Program, Science Systems and Applications, Inc
| | - Nick Rousseau
- NASA DEVELOP National Program, Science Systems and Applications, Inc
| | - Matthew Rodell
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, USA
| | - Everett Hinkley
- National Remote Sensing Program Manager, USDA Forest Service, 1400 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20250, USA
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13
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Niraula R, Meixner T, Dominguez F, Rodell M, Ajami H, Gochis D, Castro C. How might recharge change under projected climate change in western US? Geophys Res Lett 2017; 44:10407-10418. [PMID: 31080300 PMCID: PMC6510549 DOI: 10.1002/2017gl075421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Although groundwater is a major resource of water in the western US, little research has been done on the impacts of climate change on groundwater storage and recharge in the West. Here we assess the impact of projected changes in climate on groundwater recharge in the near (2021-2050) and far (2071-2100) future across the western US. Recharge is expected to decrease slightly (highly certain) in the West (-1.6%) and Southwest (-2.9%) regions in the near future and decrease considerably (highly certain) in the South region (-10.6%) in the far future. The Northern Rockies region is expected to get more recharge (highly certain) in both the near (+5.0%) and far (+9.0%) future. In general, southern portions of the western US are expected to get less recharge in the future and northern portions will get more. This study also shows that climate change interacts with land surface properties to affect the amount of recharge that occurs in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Niraula
- Department of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona
| | - T Meixner
- Department of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona
| | - F Dominguez
- Department of Atmospheric Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana-Campaign, Illinois
| | - M Rodell
- Hydrological Sciences Branch, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland
| | - H Ajami
- Environmental Sciences, University of California, Riverside, California
| | - D Gochis
- NCAR HR Regional Modelling, Boulder, Colorado
| | - C Castro
- Department of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona
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14
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McCabe MF, Rodell M, Alsdorf DE, Miralles DG, Uijlenhoet R, Wagner W, Lucieer A, Houborg R, Verhoest NEC, Franz TE, Shi J, Gao H, Wood EF. The Future of Earth Observation in Hydrology. Hydrol Earth Syst Sci 2017; 21:3879-3914. [PMID: 30233123 PMCID: PMC6140349 DOI: 10.5194/hess-21-3879-2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
In just the past five years, the field of Earth observation has progressed beyond the offerings of conventional space agency based platforms to include a plethora of sensing opportunities afforded by CubeSats, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), and smartphone technologies that are being embraced by both for-profit companies and individual researchers. Over the previous decades, space agency efforts have brought forth well-known and immensely useful satellites such as the Landsat series and the Gravity Research and Climate Experiment (GRACE) system, with costs typically on the order of one billion dollars per satellite and with concept-to-launch timelines on the order of two decades (for new missions). More recently, the proliferation of smartphones has helped to miniaturise sensors and energy requirements, facilitating advances in the use of CubeSats that can be launched by the dozens, while providing ultra-high (3-5 m) resolution sensing of the Earth on a daily basis. Start-up companies that did not exist five years ago now operate more satellites in orbit than any space agency, and at costs that are a mere fraction of the cost of traditional satellite missions. With these advances come new space-borne measurements, such as real-time high-definition video for tracking air pollution, storm-cell development, flood propagation, precipitation monitoring, or even for constructing digital surfaces using structure-from-motion techniques. Closer to the surface, measurements from small unmanned drones and tethered balloons have mapped snow depths, floods, and estimated evaporation at sub-meter resolutions, pushing back on spatio-temporal constraints and delivering new process insights. At ground level, precipitation has been measured using signal attenuation between antennae mounted on cell phone towers, while the proliferation of mobile devices has enabled citizen-scientists to catalogue photos of environmental conditions, estimate daily average temperatures from battery state, and sense other hydrologically important variables such as channel depths using commercially available wireless devices. Global internet access is being pursued via high altitude balloons, solar planes, and hundreds of planned satellite launches, providing a means to exploit the Internet of Things as an entirely new measurement domain. Such global access will enable real-time collection of data from billions of smartphones or from remote research platforms. This future will produce petabytes of data that can only be accessed via cloud storage and will require new analytical approaches to interpret. The extent to which today's hydrologic models can usefully ingest such massive data volumes is unclear. Nor is it clear whether this deluge of data will be usefully exploited, either because the measurements are superfluous, inconsistent, not accurate enough, or simply because we lack the capacity to process and analyse them. What is apparent is that the tools and techniques afforded by this array of novel and game-changing sensing platforms present our community with a unique opportunity to develop new insights that advance fundamental aspects of the hydrological sciences. To accomplish this will require more than just an application of the technology: in some cases, it will demand a radical rethink on how we utilise and exploit these new observing systems to enhance our understanding of the Earth and its linked processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew F McCabe
- Water Desalination and Reuse Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
| | - Matthew Rodell
- Hydrological Science Laboratory, Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Greenbelt, Maryland, United States
| | - Douglas E Alsdorf
- Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Diego G Miralles
- Laboratory of Hydrology and Water Management, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Remko Uijlenhoet
- Hydrology and Quantitative Water Management Group, Wageningen University, The Netherlands
| | - Wolfgang Wagner
- Department of Geodesy and Geoinformation, Technische Universität Wien, Austria
- Center for Water Resource Systems, Technische Universität Wien, Austria
| | - Arko Lucieer
- School of Land and Food, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS 7001, Australia
| | - Rasmus Houborg
- Water Desalination and Reuse Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
| | - Niko E C Verhoest
- Laboratory of Hydrology and Water Management, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Trenton E Franz
- School of Natural Resources, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68583, USA
| | - Jiancheng Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Remote Sensing Science, Institute of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Huilin Gao
- Zachry Department of Civil Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, United States
| | - Eric F Wood
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
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15
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Lawston PM, Santanello JA, Franz TE, Rodell M. Assessment of Irrigation Physics in a Land Surface Modeling Framework using Non-Traditional and Human-Practice Datasets. Hydrol Earth Syst Sci 2017; 21:2953-2966. [PMID: 30008538 PMCID: PMC6041692 DOI: 10.5194/hess-21-2953-2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Irrigation increases soil moisture, which in turn controls water and energy fluxes from the land surface to the planetary boundary layer and determines plant stress and productivity. Therefore, developing a realistic representation of irrigation is critical to understanding land-atmosphere interactions in agricultural areas. Irrigation parameterizations are becoming more common in land surface models and are growing in sophistication, but there is difficulty in assessing the realism of these schemes, due to limited observations (e.g., soil moisture, evapotranspiration) and scant reporting of irrigation timing and quantity. This study uses the Noah land surface model run at high resolution within NASA's Land Information System to assess the physics of a sprinkler irrigation simulation scheme and model sensitivity to choice of irrigation intensity and greenness fraction datasets over a small, high resolution domain in Nebraska. Differences between experiments are small at the interannual scale but become more apparent at seasonal and daily time scales. In addition, this study uses point and gridded soil moisture observations from fixed and roving Cosmic Ray Neutron Probes and co-located human practice data to evaluate the realism of irrigation amounts and soil moisture impacts simulated by the model. Results show that field-scale heterogeneity resulting from the individual actions of farmers is not captured by the model and the amount of irrigation applied by the model exceeds that applied at the two irrigated fields. However, the seasonal timing of irrigation and soil moisture contrasts between irrigated and non-irrigated areas are simulated well by the model. Overall, the results underscore the necessity of both high-quality meteorological forcing data and proper representation of irrigation for accurate simulation of water and energy states and fluxes over cropland.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia M. Lawston
- Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20740, USA
- Hydrological Sciences Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
| | - Joseph A. Santanello
- Hydrological Sciences Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
| | - Trenton E. Franz
- School of Natural Resources, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68583, USA
| | - Matthew Rodell
- Hydrological Sciences Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
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16
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Getirana A, Peters-Lidard C, Rodell M, Bates PD. Tradeoff between cost and accuracy in large-scale surface water dynamic modeling. Water Resour Res 2017; 53:4942-4955. [PMID: 30078915 PMCID: PMC6069676 DOI: 10.1002/2017wr020519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Recent efforts have led to the development of the local inertia formulation (INER) for an accurate but still cost-efficient representation of surface water dynamics, compared to the widely used kinematic wave equation (KINE). In this study, both formulations are evaluated over the Amazon basin in terms of computational costs and accuracy in simulating streamflows and water levels through synthetic experiments and comparisons against ground-based observations. Varying time steps are considered as part of the evaluation and INER at 60-second time step is adopted as the reference for synthetic experiments. Five hybrid (HYBR) realizations are performed based on maps representing the spatial distribution of the two formulations that physically represent river reach flow dynamics within the domain. Maps have fractions of KINE varying from 35.6% to 82.8%. KINE runs show clear deterioration along the Amazon river and main tributaries, with maximum RMSE values for streamflow and water level reaching 7827m3.s-1 and 1379cm near the basin's outlet. However, KINE is at least 25% more efficient than INER with low model sensitivity to longer time steps. A significant improvement is achieved with HYBR, resulting in maximum RMSE values of 3.9-292m3.s-1 for streamflows and 1.1-28.5cm for water levels, and cost reduction of 6-16%, depending on the map used. Optimal results using HYBR are obtained when the local inertia formulation is used in about one third of the Amazon basin, reducing computational costs in simulations while preserving accuracy. However, that threshold may vary when applied to different regions, according to their hydrodynamics and geomorphological characteristics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Augusto Getirana
- Hydrological Sciences Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD
- Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD
| | | | - Matthew Rodell
- Hydrological Sciences Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD
| | - Paul D Bates
- School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
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17
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Girotto M, De Lannoy GJM, Reichle RH, Rodell M, Draper C, Bhanja SN, Mukherjee A. Benefits and Pitfalls of GRACE Data Assimilation: a Case Study of Terrestrial Water Storage Depletion in India. Geophys Res Lett 2017; 44:4107-4115. [PMID: 29643570 PMCID: PMC5889943 DOI: 10.1002/2017gl072994] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
This study investigates some of the benefits and drawbacks of assimilating Terrestrial Water Storage (TWS) observations from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) into a land surface model over India. GRACE observes TWS depletion associated with anthropogenic groundwater extraction in northwest India. The model, however, does not represent anthropogenic groundwater withdrawals and is not skillful in reproducing the interannual variability of groundwater. Assimilation of GRACE TWS introduces long-term trends and improves the interannual variability in groundwater. But the assimilation also introduces a negative trend in simulated evapotranspiration whereas in reality evapotranspiration is likely enhanced by irrigation, which is also unmodeled. Moreover, in situ measurements of shallow groundwater show no trend, suggesting that the trends are erroneously introduced by the assimilation into the modeled shallow groundwater, when in reality the groundwater is depleted in deeper aquifers. The results emphasize the importance of representing anthropogenic processes in land surface modeling and data assimilation systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuela Girotto
- Global Modeling and Assimilation Office, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA
- GESTAR, Universities Space Research Association, Columbia, MD 21044, USA
| | | | - Rolf H. Reichle
- Global Modeling and Assimilation Office, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA
| | - Matthew Rodell
- Hydrological Science Lab, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA
| | - Clara Draper
- Physical Sciences Division, NOAA/Earth System Research Laboratory, Boulder, Colorado
- Cooperative Institute for Research in the Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado
| | - Soumendra N. Bhanja
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, India
| | - Abhijit Mukherjee
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, India
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, West Bengala, India
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18
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Niraula R, Meixner T, Ajami H, Rodell M, Gochis D, Castro CL. Comparing potential recharge estimates from three Land Surface Models across the Western US. J Hydrol (Amst) 2017; 545:410-423. [PMID: 29618845 PMCID: PMC5880210 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2016.12.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Groundwater is a major source of water in the western US. However, there are limited recharge estimates available in this region due to the complexity of recharge processes and the challenge of direct observations. Land surface Models (LSMs) could be a valuable tool for estimating current recharge and projecting changes due to future climate change. In this study, simulations of three LSMs (Noah, Mosaic and VIC) obtained from the North American Land Data Assimilation System (NLDAS-2) are used to estimate potential recharge in the western US. Modeled recharge was compared with published recharge estimates for several aquifers in the region. Annual recharge to precipitation ratios across the study basins varied from 0.01-15% for Mosaic, 3.2-42% for Noah, and 6.7-31.8% for VIC simulations. Mosaic consistently underestimates recharge across all basins. Noah captures recharge reasonably well in wetter basins, but overestimates it in drier basins. VIC slightly overestimates recharge in drier basins and slightly underestimates it for wetter basins. While the average annual recharge values vary among the models, the models were consistent in identifying high and low recharge areas in the region. Models agree in seasonality of recharge occurring dominantly during the spring across the region. Overall, our results highlight that LSMs have the potential to capture the spatial and temporal patterns as well as seasonality of recharge at large scales. Therefore, LSMs (specifically VIC and Noah) can be used as a tool for estimating future recharge rates in data limited regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rewati Niraula
- Department of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona
| | - Thomas Meixner
- Department of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona
| | - Hoori Ajami
- Department of Environmental Sciences, University of California Riverside, Riverside
| | - Matthew Rodell
- Hydrological Sciences Branch, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland
| | | | - Christopher L Castro
- Department of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona
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19
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Abstract
Groundwater level measurements from 3907 monitoring wells, distributed within 22 major river basins of India, are assessed to characterize their spatial and temporal variability. Groundwater storage (GWS) anomalies (relative to the long-term mean) exhibit strong seasonality, with annual maxima observed during the monsoon season and minima during pre-monsoon season. Spatial variability of GWS anomalies increases with the extent of measurements, following the power law relationship, i.e., log-(spatial variability) is linearly dependent on log-(spatial extent). In addition, the impact of well spacing on spatial variability and the power law relationship is investigated. We found that the mean GWS anomaly sampled at a 0.25 degree grid scale closes to unweighted average over all wells. The absolute error corresponding to each basin grows with increasing scale, i.e., from 0.25 degree to 1 degree. It was observed that small changes in extent could create very large changes in spatial variability at large grid scales. Spatial variability of GWS anomaly has been found to vary with climatic conditions. To our knowledge, this is the first study of the effects of well spacing on groundwater spatial variability. The results may be useful for interpreting large scale groundwater variations from unevenly spaced or sparse groundwater well observations or for siting and prioritizing wells in a network for groundwater management. The output of this study could be used to maintain a cost effective groundwater monitoring network in the study region and the approach can also be used in other parts of the globe.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soumendra N. Bhanja
- Hydrological Sciences Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, West Bengal 721302, India
| | - Matthew Rodell
- Hydrological Sciences Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
| | - Bailing Li
- Hydrological Sciences Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
| | - Abhijit Mukherjee
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, West Bengal 721302, India
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, West Bengal 721302, India
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20
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Affiliation(s)
- J S Famiglietti
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA. Department of Earth System Science, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA.
| | - A Cazenave
- Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales-Laboratoire d'Etudes Géophysique et Océanographique Spatiales (CNES/LEGOS), Toulouse, France. International Space Science Institute, Bern, Switzerland
| | - A Eicker
- Institute of Geodesy and Geoinformation, University of Bonn, Germany
| | - J T Reager
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - M Rodell
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA
| | - I Velicogna
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA. Department of Earth System Science, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
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21
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Richey AS, Thomas BF, Lo MH, Reager JT, Famiglietti JS, Voss K, Swenson S, Rodell M. Quantifying renewable groundwater stress with GRACE. Water Resour Res 2015; 51:5217-5238. [PMID: 26900185 PMCID: PMC4744761 DOI: 10.1002/2015wr017349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 147] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2015] [Accepted: 05/29/2015] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
Renewable groundwater stress is quantified in the world's largest aquifersCharacteristic stress regimes are defined to determine the severity of stressOverstressed aquifers are mainly in rangeland biomes with some croplands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra S Richey
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering University of California Irvine California USA
| | - Brian F Thomas
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory California Institute of Technology Pasadena California USA
| | - Min-Hui Lo
- Department of Atmospheric Sciences National Taiwan University Taipei Taiwan
| | - John T Reager
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory California Institute of Technology Pasadena California USA
| | - James S Famiglietti
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering University of California Irvine California USA; NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory California Institute of Technology Pasadena California USA; Department of Earth System Science University of California Irvine California USA
| | - Katalyn Voss
- Department of Geography University of California Santa Barbara California USA
| | - Sean Swenson
- Climate and Global Dynamics Division National Center for Atmospheric Research Boulder Colorado USA
| | - Matthew Rodell
- Hydrologic Sciences Laboratory NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt Maryland USA
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22
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Richey AS, Thomas BF, Lo MH, Famiglietti JS, Swenson S, Rodell M. Uncertainty in global groundwater storage estimates in a Total Groundwater Stress framework. Water Resour Res 2015; 51:5198-5216. [PMID: 26900184 PMCID: PMC4744778 DOI: 10.1002/2015wr017351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2015] [Accepted: 05/29/2015] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Groundwater resilience is defined and quantified with remote sensing from GRACETimescales of aquifer depletion are assessed as a Total Groundwater Stress ratioThe volume of usable global groundwater storage is found to be largely unknown.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra S Richey
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering University of California Irvine California USA
| | - Brian F Thomas
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory California Institute of Technology Pasadena California USA
| | - Min-Hui Lo
- Department of Atmospheric Sciences National Taiwan University Taipei Taiwan
| | - James S Famiglietti
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering University of California Irvine California USA; NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory California Institute of Technology Pasadena California USA; Department of Earth System Science University of California Irvine California USA
| | - Sean Swenson
- Climate and Global Dynamics Division National Center for Atmospheric Research Boulder Colorado USA
| | - Matthew Rodell
- Hydrologic Sciences Laboratory NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt Maryland USA
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23
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Castle SL, Thomas BF, Reager JT, Rodell M, Swenson SC, Famiglietti JS. Groundwater depletion during drought threatens future water security of the Colorado River Basin. Geophys Res Lett 2014; 41:5904-5911. [PMID: 25821273 PMCID: PMC4373164 DOI: 10.1002/2014gl061055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2014] [Accepted: 07/21/2014] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Streamflow of the Colorado River Basin is the most overallocated in the world. Recent assessment indicates that demand for this renewable resource will soon outstrip supply, suggesting that limited groundwater reserves will play an increasingly important role in meeting future water needs. Here we analyze 9 years (December 2004 to November 2013) of observations from the NASA Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment mission and find that during this period of sustained drought, groundwater accounted for 50.1 km3 of the total 64.8 km3 of freshwater loss. The rapid rate of depletion of groundwater storage (-5.6 ± 0.4 km3 yr-1) far exceeded the rate of depletion of Lake Powell and Lake Mead. Results indicate that groundwater may comprise a far greater fraction of Basin water use than previously recognized, in particular during drought, and that its disappearance may threaten the long-term ability to meet future allocations to the seven Basin states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie L Castle
- UC Center for Hydrologic Modeling, University of CaliforniaIrvine, California, USA
- Department of Earth System Science, University of CaliforniaIrvine, California, USA
| | - Brian F Thomas
- UC Center for Hydrologic Modeling, University of CaliforniaIrvine, California, USA
- Department of Earth System Science, University of CaliforniaIrvine, California, USA
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of TechnologyPasadena, California, USA
| | - John T Reager
- UC Center for Hydrologic Modeling, University of CaliforniaIrvine, California, USA
- Department of Earth System Science, University of CaliforniaIrvine, California, USA
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of TechnologyPasadena, California, USA
| | - Matthew Rodell
- Hydrological Sciences Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight CenterGreenbelt, Maryland, USA
| | - Sean C Swenson
- Climate and Global Dynamics Division, National Center for Atmospheric ResearchBoulder, Colorado, USA
| | - James S Famiglietti
- UC Center for Hydrologic Modeling, University of CaliforniaIrvine, California, USA
- Department of Earth System Science, University of CaliforniaIrvine, California, USA
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of TechnologyPasadena, California, USA
- Correspondence to: J. S. Famiglietti,,
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24
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25
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Voss KA, Famiglietti JS, Lo M, Linage C, Rodell M, Swenson SC. Groundwater depletion in the Middle East from GRACE with implications for transboundary water management in the Tigris-Euphrates-Western Iran region. Water Resour Res 2013; 49:904-914. [PMID: 23658469 PMCID: PMC3644870 DOI: 10.1002/wrcr.20078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 145] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2012] [Revised: 12/19/2012] [Accepted: 12/21/2012] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
In this study, we use observations from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellite mission to evaluate freshwater storage trends in the north-central Middle East, including portions of the Tigris and Euphrates River Basins and western Iran, from January 2003 to December 2009. GRACE data show an alarming rate of decrease in total water storage of approximately -27.2±0.6 mm yr-1 equivalent water height, equal to a volume of 143.6 km3 during the course of the study period. Additional remote-sensing information and output from land surface models were used to identify that groundwater losses are the major source of this trend. The approach used in this study provides an example of "best current capabilities" in regions like the Middle East, where data access can be severely limited. Results indicate that the region lost 17.3±2.1 mm yr-1 equivalent water height of groundwater during the study period, or 91.3±10.9 km3 in volume. Furthermore, results raise important issues regarding water use in transboundary river basins and aquifers, including the necessity of international water use treaties and resolving discrepancies in international water law, while amplifying the need for increased monitoring for core components of the water budget.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katalyn A Voss
- Science, Technology and International Affairs Program, School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University Washington, District of Columbia, USA ; UC Center for Hydrologic Modeling, University of California Irvine, California, USA
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Jiménez C, Prigent C, Mueller B, Seneviratne SI, McCabe MF, Wood EF, Rossow WB, Balsamo G, Betts AK, Dirmeyer PA, Fisher JB, Jung M, Kanamitsu M, Reichle RH, Reichstein M, Rodell M, Sheffield J, Tu K, Wang K. Global intercomparison of 12 land surface heat flux estimates. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2011. [DOI: 10.1029/2010jd014545] [Citation(s) in RCA: 275] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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Rodell M, Velicogna I, Famiglietti JS. Satellite-based estimates of groundwater depletion in India. Nature 2009; 460:999-1002. [PMID: 19675570 DOI: 10.1038/nature08238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 413] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2009] [Accepted: 06/14/2009] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Groundwater is a primary source of fresh water in many parts of the world. Some regions are becoming overly dependent on it, consuming groundwater faster than it is naturally replenished and causing water tables to decline unremittingly. Indirect evidence suggests that this is the case in northwest India, but there has been no regional assessment of the rate of groundwater depletion. Here we use terrestrial water storage-change observations from the NASA Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment satellites and simulated soil-water variations from a data-integrating hydrological modelling system to show that groundwater is being depleted at a mean rate of 4.0 +/- 1.0 cm yr(-1) equivalent height of water (17.7 +/- 4.5 km(3) yr(-1)) over the Indian states of Rajasthan, Punjab and Haryana (including Delhi). During our study period of August 2002 to October 2008, groundwater depletion was equivalent to a net loss of 109 km(3) of water, which is double the capacity of India's largest surface-water reservoir. Annual rainfall was close to normal throughout the period and we demonstrate that the other terrestrial water storage components (soil moisture, surface waters, snow, glaciers and biomass) did not contribute significantly to the observed decline in total water levels. Although our observational record is brief, the available evidence suggests that unsustainable consumption of groundwater for irrigation and other anthropogenic uses is likely to be the cause. If measures are not taken soon to ensure sustainable groundwater usage, the consequences for the 114,000,000 residents of the region may include a reduction of agricultural output and shortages of potable water, leading to extensive socioeconomic stresses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Rodell
- Hydrological Sciences Branch, Code 614.3, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, USA
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de Goncalves LGG, Shuttleworth WJ, Chou SC, Xue Y, Houser PR, Toll DL, Marengo J, Rodell M. Impact of different initial soil moisture fields on Eta model weather forecasts for South America. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2006. [DOI: 10.1029/2005jd006309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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de Goncalves LGG, Shuttleworth WJ, Burke EJ, Houser P, Toll DL, Rodell M, Arsenault K. Toward a South America Land Data Assimilation System: Aspects of land surface model spin-up using the Simplified Simple Biosphere. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2006. [DOI: 10.1029/2005jd006297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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