Human-Induced and Climate-Driven Contributions to Water Storage Variations in the Haihe River Basin, China

A quantitative understanding of changes in water resources is crucial for local governments to enable timely decision-making to maintain water security. Here, we quantified natural-and human-induced influences on the terrestrial water storage change (TWSC) in Sichuan, Southwest China, with intensive water consumption and climate variability, based on the data from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) and its Follow-on (GRACE-FO) during 2003–2020. We combined the TWSC estimates derived from six GRACE/GRACE-FO solutions based on the uncertainties of each solution estimated from the generalized three-cornered hat method. Metrics of correlation coefficient and contribution rate (CR) were used to evaluate the influence of precipitation, evapotranspiration, runoff, reservoir storage, and total water consumption on TWSC in the entire region and its five economic regions. The results showed that a significant improvement in the fused TWSC was found compared to those derived from a single model. The increase in regional water storage with a rate of 3.83 ± 0.54 mm/a was more influenced by natural factors (CR was 53.17%) compared to human influence (CR was 46.83%). Among the factors, the contribution of reservoir storage was the largest (CR was 42.32%) due to the rapid increase in hydropower stations, followed by precipitation (CR was 35.16%), evapotranspiration (CR was 15.86%), total water consumption (CR was 4.51%), and runoff (CR was 2.15%). Among the five economic regions, natural influence on Chengdu Plain was the highest (CR was 48.21%), while human influence in Northwest Sichuan was the largest (CR was 61.37%). The highest CR of reservoir storage to TWSC was in Northwest Sichuan (61.11%), while the highest CRs of precipitation (35.16%) and evapotranspiration (15.86%) were both in PanXi region. The results suggest that TWSC in Sichuan is affected by natural factors and intense human activities, in particular, the effect of reservoir storage on TWSC is very significant. Our study results can provide beneficial help for the management and assessment of regional water resources.

Section: Reconstructed Twsc Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

Natural- and Human-Induced Influences on Terrestrial Water Storage Change in Sichuan, Southwest China from 2003 to 2020

Cui

Zhu

et al. 2022

“…GRACE-FO RL06 Mascon data with a spatial resolution of 0.5 • for the period October 2018-July 2020 were selected. In addition, the discontinuous data between GRACE and GRACE-FO (June 2017-October 2018) were supplemented by a dataset of land water reserve changes that was reconstructed based on precipitation in China, as released by Zhong et al [34]. This dataset included GRACE/GRACE-FO RL06 Mascon data released by the Center for Space Research (CSR), real-time analysis system data of daily grid precipitation in China, CN05.1 temperature data, and other datasets.…”

Section: Grace and Grace-fo Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This dataset included GRACE/GRACE-FO RL06 Mascon data released by the Center for Space Research (CSR), real-time analysis system data of daily grid precipitation in China, CN05.1 temperature data, and other datasets. As the dataset was established using a precipitation reconstruction model and considering factors such as seasonal items in the Mascon product and trend items, the quality of the data is generally high [34].…”

Section: Grace and Grace-fo Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition, the ground monitoring stations can provide ET observations at each site [32], but the sites are often too sparse for basin-scale studies. The considerable advantages of the GRACE gravity satellites at detecting long-term hydrological change information over large scales [33]-particularly the successful launch and application of the subsequent GRACE Follow-On (GRACE-FO) satellites-provide an important means for the continued use of gravity satellites to measure large-scale changes in regional land water storage [34]. Taking into account the unique nature of GRACE observations, Rodell et al firstly proposed an equation to estimate ET by using observed data [5].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Estimation of Evapotranspiration in the Yellow River Basin from 2002 to 2020 Based on GRACE and GRACE Follow-On Observations

Jin

Zhang

et al. 2022

Evapotranspiration (ET) plays an important role in the hydrological cycle of river basins. Studying ET in the Yellow River Basin (YRB) is greatly significant for the scientific management of water resources. Here, we made full use of the advantages of the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) and GRACE Follow-On (GRACE-FO) gravity satellites for monitoring large-scale hydrological changes to calculate the terrestrial water storage anomaly (TWSA) and terrestrial water flux in the YRB from May 2002 to June 2020. Furthermore, combined with terrestrial water flux, precipitation, and runoff data, ET in the YRB was calculated based on the water budget equation and then compared with other traditional ET products. The mutation of annual mean ET was identified by the Mann–Kendall trend test method, and the seasonal and interannual variations of ET were explored. ET was closely related to precipitation. Annual mean ET exhibited a sudden change in 2011, with an insignificant downward trend from 2003 to 2010, followed by an increasing trend from 2011 to 2019, particularly after 2016. Compared with the traditional ET monitoring methods and products, the ET estimated by GRACE/GRACE-FO observations provides a new way to effectively obtain continuous and reliable ET data in a wide range of river basins.

“…More details about this product can be found in Save et al [33]. This product has been widely used for TWSC estimation at large scales [34][35][36].…”

Section: Grace Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

Estimation of Terrestrial Water Storage Changes at Small Basin Scales Based on Multi-Source Data

Liu

Zhong

et al. 2021

Self Cite

Terrestrial water storage changes (TWSCs) retrieved from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellite mission have been extensively evaluated in previous studies over large basin scales. However, monitoring the TWSC at small basin scales is still poorly understood. This study presented a new method for calculating TWSCs at the small basin scales based on the water balance equation, using hydrometeorological and multi-source data. First, the basin was divided into several sub-basins through the slope runoff simulation algorithm. Secondly, we simulated the evapotranspiration (ET) and outbound runoff of each sub-basin using the PML_V2 and SWAT. Lastly, through the water balance equation, the TWSC of each sub-basin was obtained. Based on the estimated results, we analyzed the temporal and spatial variations in precipitation, ET, outbound runoff, and TWSC in the Ganjiang River Basin (GRB) from 2002 to 2018. The results showed that by comparing with GRACE products, in situ groundwater levels data, and soil moisture storage, the TWSC calculated by this study is in good agreement with these three data. During the study period, the spatial and temporal variations in precipitation and runoff in the GRB were similar, with a minimum in 2011 and maximum in 2016. The annual ET changed gently, while the TWSC fluctuated greatly. The findings of this study could provide some new information for improving the estimate of the TWSC at small basin scales.