Estimating groundwater storage changes in the Mississippi River basin (USA) using GRACE

Based on satellite observations of Earth’s time variable gravity field from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE), it is possible to derive variations in terrestrial water storage, which includes groundwater, soil moisture, and snow. Given auxiliary information on the latter two, one can estimate groundwater storage variations. GRACE may be the only hope for groundwater depletion assessments in data-poor regions of the world. In this study, soil moisture and snow were simulated by the Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS) and used to isolate groundwater storage anomalies from GRACE water storage data for the Mississippi River basin and its four major sub-basins. Results were evaluated using water level records from 58 wells set in the unconfined aquifers of the basin. Uncertainty in the technique was also assessed. The GRACE-GLDAS estimates compared favorably with the well based time series for the Mississippi River basin and the two sub-basins that are larger than 900,000 km2. The technique performed poorly for the two sub-basins that have areas of approximately 500,000 km2. Continuing enhancement of the GRACE processing methods is likely to improve the skill of the technique in the future, while also increasing the temporal resolution.RésuméA partir d’observations satellitaires du programme Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE), l’étude de la variation dans le temps du champ de gravité terrestre permet de déduire les variations du stock d’eau terrestre, ce qui comprend l’eau souterraine, l’humidité du sol et la neige. Les variations de stock d’eau souterraine peuvent être estimées à partir d’informations auxiliaires sur les deux autres composantes. GRACE pourrait être le seul espoir pour l’établissement des bilans d’eau souterraine dans les régions du monde où les données sont peu nombreuses. Dans cette étude concernant le bassin du fleuve Mississippi et ses quatre sous bassins principaux, l’humidité du sol et la neige ont été simulées par le modèle Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS) et utilisées pour isoler les anomalies de stock d’eau souterraine à partir des données de stock d’eau du GRACE. Les résultats ont été évalués à partir d’enregistrements de niveaux piézomètriques réalisés dans 58 puits localisés dans les aquifères libres du bassin. L’incertitude liée à la technique a également été évaluée. Les estimations GRACE-GLDAS concordaient avec les chroniques de puits pour le bassin du Mississippi ainsi que pour les deux sous bassins présentant une superficie supérieure à 900,000 km2. La technique s’est avérée peu performante pour les deux sous bassins d’environ 500,000 km2. L’amélioration continue des méthodes de traitement des données du GRACE devrait à l’avenir augmenter la performance de la technique ainsi que la résolution temporelle.ResumenEs posible derivar variaciones en el almacenamiento de agua terrestre en base a observaciones de satélite del campo gravitacional temporal variable de la Tierra a partir del Experimento Clima y Recuperación de Gravedad (GRACE), el cual incluye agua subterránea, humedad del suelo, y nieve. Dada la información auxiliar de los dos últimos, uno puede estimar variaciones en almacenamiento de agua subterránea. GRACE puede ser la única esperanza para las evaluaciones de agotamiento de agua subterránea en regiones del mundo con datos pobres. En este estudio se simularon la nieve y humedad del suelo mediante el Sistema de Asimilación de Datos Globales del Terreno (GLDAS) y se usaron para aislar anomalías de almacenamiento de agua subterránea de los datos de almacenamiento de agua GRACE para la cuenca del Río Mississippi y sus cuatros sub-cuencas principales. Los resultados se evaluaron utilizando registros de niveles de agua para 58 pozos emplazados en acuíferos no confinados de la cuenca. También se evaluó la incertidumbre de la técnica. Los estimados provenientes de GLDAS-GRACE se comparan favorablemente con las series de tiempo de los pozos para la cuenca del Río Mississippi y las dos sub-cuencas cuyas áreas son mayores de 900,000 km2. La técnica se desempeñó pobremente para las dos sub-cuencas que tienen áreas de aproximadamente 500,000 km2. El mejoramiento continuo de los métodos de procesamiento GRACE es posible que mejore la habilidad de la técnica en el futuro mejorando al mismo tiempo la resolución temporal.

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