Quantifying the anthropogenic impact on groundwater resources of North China using Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment data and land surface models

Abstract. The North China Plain contains 65% of the country’s agricultural land and 24% of its fresh water resources. Monthly (January 2003 to December 2012) Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) data were used to quantify anthropogenic impacts on groundwater depletion rates in the northern China region; areas include the North China Plain and surroundings. Nongroundwater components of GRACE-derived terrestrial water storage (TWS) were removed using the outputs of the Community Land Model version 4.5 (CLM4.5) spanning the same period. Results indicate that the northern China region witnessed a TWS depletion of 14.09±1.74×109  m3/year (9.39±1.16  mm/year). The GRACE-derived groundwater depletion rate was estimated at 12.78±1.56×109  m3/year (8.52±1.04  mm/year), which represents 91% of the GRACE-derived TWS trend. Variations in combined soil moisture, snow, vegetation canopy, and river channel storages are minimal (9%) across northern China region. Anthropogenic variations in groundwater depletion rates were estimated at 19.50±1.71×109  m3/year (13.00±1.14  mm/year). The findings highlight the importance of using GRACE data as a cost-effective tool for monitoring aquifer depletion rates across the globe.

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