Decreasing water resources in Southeastern U.S. as observed by the GRACE satellites

Abstract

Changing water quantities and location can be estimated using the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellites. By measuring differences in the Earth's gravity, the satellites provide monthly data on regional changes in the Earth's mass resulting from the movement of water. Studying the Southeast U.S., using the full record of the original GRACE satellites (2002–2016), a significant trend of declining water quantities appears in west-central Alabama, extending into eastern Mississippi. These findings confirm earlier research which indicates declining streamflow levels but develops this research further by estimating the amount lost as 11.6 km3. Considering the different terrestrial water storages by analyzing data from the National Climate Assessment – Land Data Assimilation System Noah 3.3 Version 2 (NCA-LDAS) indicates that the majority of this loss can be attributed to groundwater losses, a finding that is further confirmed by well records throughout the region.

Analysis of Surface Water Trends for the Conterminous United States Using MODIS Satellite Data, 2003–2019

“…A similar pattern may be present across portions of the Southeast, which has had documented decreases in water quantity, groundwater, and low-flow streamgage records (Engström et al, 2021;Richey et al, 2015;Stephens & Bledsoe, 2020), matching the decreasing trends seen in the DSWEmod time series, though in contrast to a majority of trends in discharge. Unlike the extended droughts that encompass the Southwest, this region experiences a greater frequency of short-term "flash droughts" and extreme wet events impacting both surface and groundwater flows (Engström et al, 2021;Labosier & Quiring, 2013).…”

“…However, increasing discharge trends at some gages have been observed along the Jordan River upstream of the Great Salt Lake (USGS gage 10171000; M-K trend = 0.039), the Truckee River upstream of Pyramid Lake (10351700; 0.018), and the Walker River upstream of Walker Lake (10301600; 0.014) over the same period. A similar pattern may be present across portions of the Southeast, which has had documented decreases in water quantity, groundwater, and low-flow streamgage records (Engström et al, 2021;Richey et al, 2015;Stephens & Bledsoe, 2020), matching the decreasing trends seen in the DSWEmod time series, though in contrast to a majority of trends in discharge. Unlike the extended droughts that encompass the Southwest, this region experiences a greater frequency of short-term "flash droughts" and extreme wet events impacting both surface and groundwater flows (Engström et al, 2021;Labosier & Quiring, 2013).…”

Examining the Relationship between Geographic Groupings and Perspective of Critical Community Issues: An Audience Segmentation Analysis

“…The two principal water supplies for Georgia are groundwater, including the Floridian aquifer [72], and surface water, including bodies of water such as Lake Lanier [73]. Population increases and finite water resources indicate water quantity and consumption are poised to represent potential issues for Georgia and neighboring states [73][74][75].…”

Terrestrial water storage anomaly estimating using machine learning techniques and satellite‐based data (a case study of Lake Urmia Basin)

“…Small changes in the mass distribution on the Earth can cause significant changes in the Earth's gravity, which can be detected by satellites and groundbased measuring equipment (Wang et al, 2022). One of the sciences that can be effective in studying water resources is the field of gravity of the Earth and the study of its changes (Engström et al, 2021;Kinouchi, 2021). Whether at depth or in the Earth's crust, the mass distribution creates the gravitational field.…”