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Analysis of Groundwater and Total Water Storage Changes Using GRACE Observations

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A special issue of Remote Sensing (ISSN 2072-4292). This special issue belongs to the section "Biogeosciences Remote Sensing".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 October 2022) | Viewed by 22973

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Jolanta Nastula

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Guest Editor

Centrum Badań Kosmicznych Polskiej Akademii Nauk, Bartycka 18A, 00-716 Warsaw, Poland
Interests: earth orientation parameters; gravimetric satellite missions; changes in climate models to polar motion study; terrestrial water storage changes; advanced remote sensing technology to geophysical studies
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Monika Birylo

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1. Institute of Geodesy, University of Warmia, Olsztyn, Poland
2. Department of Land Surveying and Geomatics, Mazury University in Olsztyn, 10-719 Olsztyn, Poland
Interests: geodesy; gravimetry; earth gravity field; hydrology; GRACE; groundwater
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Water is an indispensable part of life and is stored in a variety of resources in nature, such as lakes, wetlands, vapor, rivers, ice, and aquifers. To be able to understand the global water cycle, total water storage (TWS) should be estimated. TWS has also become a key variable for terrestrial surface-atmosphere interaction. As one of the TWS components, groundwater storage (GWS) represents the largest source of freshwater storage in the hydrological system. GWS is one of the most important sources for irrigation and drinking water. In the time of climate change, GWS is strongly influenced by these phenomena, especially in terms of its possibilities of being renewable or not. In addition to groundwater availability measures, other key issues regarding groundwater in the world are depletion of water, degradation of water quality, the water-energy nexus, and transboundary water conflicts. Understanding the global scale of the GWS has become possible due to advances in remote sensing missions.

Between 2002 and 2017, the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) mission provided measurements of Earth’s gravity field that enabled us to monitor and understand dynamic Earth systems, including solid Earth, atmosphere, cryosphere, and hydrosphere. The mission delivered unprecedented information especially for TWS and GWS studies as this was a first mission that provided global measurements of those components. The importance of GRACE data was raised by the international scientific community, and, in May 2018, a successor of the mission, GRACE Follow-On (GRACE FO), was launched.

This Special Issue solicits GRACE and GRACE FO contributions to studies on groundwater and total water storage changes. Potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

Estimating groundwater storage change;
Estimating hard rock aquifers;
Long-term, non-anthropogenic and anthropogenic groundwater storage changes;
Uncertainty in global groundwater storage estimates;
Flow and storage in groundwater systems;
Managing and monitoring groundwater system;
Challenges in GRACE-based groundwater storage evaluation;
Groundwater depletion;
Vulnerability of water storage to climate;
Risk factors and reservoirs of TWS;
Challenges in estimating and assessing the regional total water storage;
Influence of climate variability and change on total water storage dynamics.

Prof. Dr. Jolanta Nastula
Dr. Monika Birylo
Guest Editors

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Keywords

GRACE
GRACE-FO
Terrestrial hydrology
Groundwater storage
Total water storage

Published Papers (9 papers)

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27 pages, 3834 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A New Spatiotemporal Estimator to Downscale GRACE Gravity Models for Terrestrial and Groundwater Storage Variations Estimation

by Farzam Fatolazadeh, Mehdi Eshagh, Kalifa Goïta and Shusen Wang

Remote Sens. 2022, 14(23), 5991; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs14235991 - 26 Nov 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1742

Abstract

This study proposes a new mathematical approach to downscale monthly terrestrial water storage anomalies (TWSA) from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) and estimates groundwater storage anomalies (GWSA) at a daily temporal resolution and a spatial resolution of 0.25° × 0.25°, simultaneously. The method combines monthly 3° GRACE gravity models and daily 0.25° hydrological model outputs and their uncertainties in the spectral domain by minimizing the mean-square error (MSE) of their estimator to enhance the quality of both low and high frequency signals in the estimated TWSA and GWSA. The Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS) was the hydrological model considered in this study. The estimator was tested over Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba (Canada), especially over the Province of Alberta, using data from 65 in-situ piezometric wells for 2003. Daily minimum and maximum GWS varied from 14 mm to 32 mm across the study area. A comparison of the estimated GWSA with the corresponding in-situ wells showed significant and consistent correlations in most cases, with r = 0.43–0.92 (mean r = 0.73). Correlations were >0.70 for approximately 70% of the wells, with root mean square errors <24 mm. These results provide evidence for using the proposed spectral combination estimator in downscaling GRACE data on a daily basis at a spatial scale of 0.25° × 0.25°. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Analysis of Groundwater and Total Water Storage Changes Using GRACE Observations)

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19 pages, 4199 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Hydro-Geophysical Evaluation of the Regional Variability of Senegal’s Terrestrial Water Storage Using Time-Variable Gravity Data

by Ahmed Mohamed, Cheikh Faye, Abdullah Othman and Ahmed Abdelrady

Remote Sens. 2022, 14(16), 4059; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs14164059 - 19 Aug 2022

Cited by 18 | Viewed by 1927

Abstract

The Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellite data retrieval experiment has been instrumental in characterizing the global fluctuations in terrestrial water storage (ΔTWS) over the past 20 years. Given the limited availability of hydrological data, GRACE measurements are frequently combined with other climatic models, standardized precipitation index (SPI), and standardized temperature index (STI) data to examine the likelihood of such impacts on hydrology and calculate the groundwater storage changes (ΔGWS). The characterization of the intensity and variability of drought events has been identified based on the Terrestrial Water Storage Deficit Index (TWSI), derived from GRACE mass concentration blocks (mascons) over Senegal during the studied period (April 2002–December 2021). The results are: (1) The average annual precipitation (AAP) rate for the entire period was calculated at 692.5 mm/yr. (2) The GRACE-derived ΔTWS variations were calculated at +0.89 ± 0.34, +0.07 ± 0.36, +1.66 ± 1.20, and +0.63 ± 0.08 cm/yr for Periods I (April 2002–December 2009), II (January 2010–December 2017), III (January 2018–December 2021), and the entire period (April 2002–December 2021), respectively. (3) The ΔGWS changes were estimated to be +0.89 ± 0.31, +0.085 ± 0.33, +1.64 ± 1.11, and +0.63 ± 0.08 cm/yr for Periods I, II, II, and the entire period, respectively. (4) There is good agreement in some years and seasons according to the investigation of the link between the GRACE dataset, STI, and SPI. (5) Senegal’s groundwater storage is increasing at a rate of 0.63 ± 0.08 cm/yr (1.24 ± 0.16 km³/yr) between April 2002 and December 2021. (6) Considering the yearly extraction rates of 1.13 ± 0.11 cm/yr (2.22 ± 0.22 km³/yr), an average recharge rate of +1.76 ± 0.14 cm/yr (+3.46 ± 0.28 km³/yr) was calculated for the studied area. The integrated strategy is instructive and economical. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Analysis of Groundwater and Total Water Storage Changes Using GRACE Observations)

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22 pages, 7718 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Monitoring Mass Variations in Iraq Using Time-Variable Gravity Data

by Abdullah Othman, Ahmed Abdelrady and Ahmed Mohamed

Remote Sens. 2022, 14(14), 3346; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs14143346 - 12 Jul 2022

Cited by 17 | Viewed by 2001

Abstract

Iraq is facing a water shortage due to water scarcity and anthropogenic activities. The recent advance in technologies in geophysical methods has made groundwater monitoring possible. Time-variable gravity data and outputs of the climatic model, as well as rainfall data, are integrated to investigate the spatio-temporal mass variations caused by groundwater changes over Iraq. The findings are: (1) For the entire study period (04/2002–12/2020), Period I (04/2002–12/2006), Period II (01/2007–12/2017), and Period III (01/2018–12/2020), the study region had an average annual precipitation rate of 223.4, 252.5, 194.2, and 311.6 mm/y, respectively. (2) The average Terrestrial Water Storage variations (ΔTWSs) varied from −5.79 ± 0.70 to −5.11 ± 0.70 mm/y based on the three different gravity solutions with a mean of −5.51 ± 0.68 mm/y for the entire investigated period. (3) For Periods I, II, and III, the average ΔTWS fluctuation was calculated to be +6.82 ± 1.92, −6.20 ± 1.17, and +28.58 ± 12.78 mm/y, respectively. (4) During the entire period, Periods I, II, and II, the groundwater fluctuation was averaged at −4.86 ± 0.68, +2.47 ± 2.20, −3.79 ± 1.20, and −4.63 ± 12.99 mm/y, respectively, after subtracting the non-groundwater components. (5) At the beginning of the 2007 drought during Period II, a decline in rainfall rate, and significant groundwater withdrawal during Period III all appear to have contributed to groundwater depletion. The Euphrates and Tigris Rivers, as well as the Mesopotamian plain, receive water from the running streams created by the ground relief. The area of the Mesopotamian plain, which has a thicker sedimentary sequence that can reach 9000 m, is found to have a positive TWS signal, indicating that its groundwater potential is higher. The integrated approach is informative and cost-effective. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Analysis of Groundwater and Total Water Storage Changes Using GRACE Observations)

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16 pages, 3437 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Short-Term and Long-Term Replenishment of Water Storage Influenced by Lockdown and Policy Measures in Drought-Prone Regions of Central India

by Soumendra N. Bhanja and M. Sekhar

Remote Sens. 2022, 14(8), 1768; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs14081768 - 07 Apr 2022

Viewed by 1817

Abstract

Central India faces a freshwater shortage due to its diverse terrain, sudden change in precipitation patterns and crystalline rock covered subsurface. Here, we investigate the patterns in terrestrial water storage anomaly (TWSA) over the last two decades, and also study the influence of the COVID-19 lockdown on TWSA in the drought-prone regions of central India, mostly covering the Vidarbha region of the Indian state of Maharashtra. The Vidarbha region is arguably the most drought-affected region in terms of farmer suicides due to crop failure. Our forecast data using multiple statistical approaches show a net TWSA rise in the order of 3.65 to 19.32 km³ in the study area in May 2020. A short-term rise in TWSA in April–May of 2020 is associated with lockdown influenced human activity reduction. A long-term rise in TWSA has been observed in the study region in recent years; the rising TWSA trend is not directly associated with precipitation patterns, rather it may be attributed to the implementation of water management policies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Analysis of Groundwater and Total Water Storage Changes Using GRACE Observations)

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22 pages, 9768 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Evaluating Groundwater Storage Change and Recharge Using GRACE Data: A Case Study of Aquifers in Niger, West Africa

by Sergio A. Barbosa, Sarva T. Pulla, Gustavious P. Williams, Norman L. Jones, Bako Mamane and Jorge L. Sanchez

Remote Sens. 2022, 14(7), 1532; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs14071532 - 22 Mar 2022

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 4913 | Correction

Abstract

Accurately assessing groundwater storage changes in Niger is critical for long-term water resource management but is difficult due to sparse field data. We present a study of groundwater storage changes and recharge in Southern Niger, computed using data from NASA Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) mission. We compute a groundwater storage anomaly estimate by subtracting the surface water anomaly provided by the Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS) model from the GRACE total water storage anomaly. We use a statistical model to fill gaps in the GRACE data. We analyze the time period from 2002 to 2021, which corresponds to the life span of the GRACE mission, and show that there is little change in groundwater storage from 2002–2010, but a steep rise in storage from 2010–2021, which can partially be explained by a period of increased precipitation. We use the Water Table Fluctuation method to estimate recharge rates over this period and compare these values with previous estimates. We show that for the time range analyzed, groundwater resources in Niger are not being overutilized and could be further developed for beneficial use. Our estimated recharge rates compare favorably to previous estimates and provide managers with the data required to understand how much additional water could be extracted in a sustainable manner. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Analysis of Groundwater and Total Water Storage Changes Using GRACE Observations)

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21 pages, 4987 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Quantifying Changes in Groundwater Storage and Response to Hydroclimatic Extremes in a Coastal Aquifer Using Remote Sensing and Ground-Based Measurements: The Texas Gulf Coast Aquifer

by Bimal Gyawali, Dorina Murgulet and Mohamed Ahmed

Remote Sens. 2022, 14(3), 612; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs14030612 - 27 Jan 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3349

Abstract

With the increasing vulnerability of groundwater resources, especially in coastal regions, there is a growing need to monitor changes in groundwater storage (GWS). Estimations of GWS have been conducted extensively at regional to global scales using GRACE and GRACE-FO observations. The major goal of this study was to evaluate the applicability of uninterrupted monthly GRACE-derived terrestrial water storage (TWS_GRACE) records in facilitating detection of long- and short-term hydroclimatic events affecting the GWS in a coastal area. The TWS_GRACE data gap was filled with reconstructed values from multi-linear regression (MLR) and artificial neural network (ANN) models and used to estimate changes in GWS in the Texas coastal region (Gulf Coast and Carrizo–Wilcox Aquifers) between 2002 and 2019. The reconstructed TWS_GRACE, along with soil moisture storage (SMS) from land surface models (LSMs), and surface water storage (SWS) were used to estimate the GRACE-derived GWS (GWS_GRACE), validated against the GWS estimated from groundwater level observations (GWS_well) and extreme hydroclimatic event records. The results of this study show: (1) Good agreement between the predicted TWS_GRACE data gaps from the MLR and ANN models with high accuracy of predictions; (2) good agreement between the GWS_GRACE and GWS_well records (CC = 0.56, p-value < 0.01) for the 2011–2019 period for which continuous GWL_well data exists, thus validating the approach and increasing confidence in using the reconstructed TWS_GRACE data to monitor coastal GWS; (3) a significant decline in the coastal GWS_GRACE, at a rate of 0.35 ± 0.078 km³·yr⁻¹ (p-value < 0.01), for the 2002–2019 period; and (4) the reliable applicability of GWS_GRACE records in detecting multi-year drought and wet periods with good accuracy: Two drought periods were identified between 2005–2006 and 2010–2015, with significant respective depletion rates of −8.9 ± 0.95 km³·yr⁻¹ and −2.67 ± 0.44 km³·yr⁻¹ and one wet period between 2007 and 2010 with a significant increasing rate of 2.6 ± 0.63 km³·yr⁻¹. Thus, this study provides a reliable approach to examine the long- and short-term trends in GWS in response to changing climate conditions with significant implications for water management practices and improved decision-making capabilities. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Analysis of Groundwater and Total Water Storage Changes Using GRACE Observations)

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18 pages, 4594 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Spatial Downscaling Methodology for GRACE Total Water Storage Anomalies Using GPM IMERG Precipitation Estimates

by Alexandra Gemitzi, Nikos Koutsias and Venkataraman Lakshmi

Remote Sens. 2021, 13(24), 5149; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs13245149 - 18 Dec 2021

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 3243

Abstract

A downscaling framework for coarse resolution Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) Total Water Storage Anomaly (TWSA) data is described, exploiting the observations of precipitation from the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission, using the Integrated Multi-satellite Retrievals for GPM (IMERG). Considering that the major driving force for changes in TWS is precipitation, we tested our hypothesis that coarse resolution, i.e., 1°, GRACE TWSA can be effectively downscaled to 0.1° using GPM IMERG data. The algorithm for the downscaling process comprises the development of a regression equation at the coarse resolution between the GRACE and GPM IMERG data, which is then applied at the finer resolution with a subsequent residual correction procedure. An ensemble of GRACE data from three processing centers, i.e., GFZ, JPL and CSR, was used for the time period from June 2018 until March 2021. To verify our downscaling methodology, we applied it with GRACE data from 2005 to 2015, and we compared it against modeled TWSA from two independent datasets in the Thrace and Thessaly regions in Greece for the same period and found a high performance in all examined metrics. Our research indicates that the downscaled GRACE observations are comparable to the TWSA estimated with hydrological modeling, thus highlighting the potential of GRACE data to contribute to the improvement of hydrological model performance, especially in ungauged basins. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Analysis of Groundwater and Total Water Storage Changes Using GRACE Observations)

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27 pages, 10952 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Improving the Accuracy of Water Storage Anomaly Trends Based on a New Statistical Correction Hydrological Model Weighting Method

by Qingqing Wang, Wei Zheng, Wenjie Yin, Guohua Kang, Gangqiang Zhang and Dasheng Zhang

Remote Sens. 2021, 13(18), 3583; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs13183583 - 09 Sep 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1856

Abstract

The Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellite solutions have been considerably applied to assess the reliability of hydrological models on a global scale. However, no single hydrological model can be suitable for all regions. Here, a New Statistical Correction Hydrological Model Weighting (NSCHMW) method is developed based on the root mean square error and correlation coefficient between hydrological models and GRACE mass concentration (mascon) data. The NSCHMW method can highlight the advantages of good models compared with the previous average method. Additionally, to verify the effect of the NSCHMW method, taking the Haihe River Basin (HRB) as an example, the spatiotemporal patterns of Terrestrial Water Storage Anomalies (TWSA) in HRB are analyzed through a comprehensive comparison of decadal trends (2003–2014) from GRACE and different hydrological models (Noah from GLDAS-2.1, VIC from GLDAS-2.1, CLSM from GLDAS-2.1, CLSM from GLDAS-2.0, WGHM, PCR-GLOBWB, and CLM-4.5). Besides, the NSCHMW method is applied to estimate TWSA trends in the HRB. Results demonstrate that (1) the NSCHMW method can improve the accuracy of TWSA estimation by hydrological models; (2) the TWSA trends continue to decrease through the study period at a rate of 15.7 mm/year; (3) the WGHM and PCR-GLOBWB have positive reliability with respect to GRACE with r > 0.9, while all the other models underestimate TWSA trends; (4) the NSCHMW method can effectively improve RMSE, NES, and r with 3–96%, 35–282%, 1–255%, respectively, by weighting the WGHM and PCR-GLOBWB. Indeed, groundwater depletion in HRB also proves the necessity of the South-North Water Diversion Project, which has already contributed to groundwater recovery. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Analysis of Groundwater and Total Water Storage Changes Using GRACE Observations)

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