Divergent Trends of Water Storage Observed via Gravity Satellite across Distinct Areas in China

Abstract

Knowledge of the spatiotemporal variations of terrestrial water storage (TWS) is critical for the sustainable management of water resources in China. However, this knowledge has not been quantified and compared for the different climate types and underlying surface characteristics. Here, we present observational evidence for the spatiotemporal dynamics of water storage based on the products from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) and the Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS) in China over 2003–2016. Our results were the following: (1) gravity satellite dataset showed divergent trends of TWS across distinct areas due to human factors and climate factors. The overall changing trend of water storage is that the north experiences a loss of water and the south gains in water, which aggravates the uneven spatial distribution of water resources in China. (2) In the eastern monsoon area, the depletion of water storage in North China (NC) was found to be mostly due to anthropogenic disturbance through groundwater pumping in plain areas. However, precipitation was shown to be a key driver for the increase of water storage in South China (SC). Increasing precipitation in SC was linked to atmospheric circulation enhancement and Pacific Ocean warming, meaning an unrecognized teleconnection between circulation anomalies and water storage. (3) At high altitudes in the west, the change of water storage was affected by the melting of ice and snow due to the rising temperatures, yet the topography determines the trend of water storage. We found that the mountainous terrain led to the loss of water storage in Tianshan Mountain (TSM), while the closed basin topography gathered the melted water in the interior of the Tibetan Plateau (ITP). This study highlights the impacts of the local climate and topography on terrestrial water storage, and has reference value for the government and the public to address the crisis of water resources in China.

Satellite greenness and solar‐induced chlorophyll fluorescence reveal reverse desertification in Gurbantunggut Desert

“…It is well known that snow‐ice fixed in high mountains is the most important source of water storage in the isolated, arid inland regions (Deng et al, 2019; He, Sun, et al, 2020). The melting snow‐ice of the Tianshan Mountains, a huge mountain system stretching across central Asia, is the main source of water to nourish the downstream oases and grasslands (Liu et al, 2020).…”

Separating the Precipitation‐ and Non‐Precipitation‐ Driven Water Storage Trends in China

“…(2021) adopt a new metric to rationalize the meanings of the trend term in TWS globally. Many studies have also been conducted to investigate the water storage changes in China and their causes (He et al., 2020; Lv et al., 2021; X. Wang et al., 2020; Xu et al., 2019). These studies showed consistent findings on the spatial heterogeneity of regional water storage in China but presented different interpretations on the attribution of water storage change.…”

Effects of climate change and agricultural expansion on groundwater storage in the Amur River Basin

“…Changes in evapotranspiration, atmospheric water vapor, and precipitation cause changes in the global hydrological cycle (IPCC, 2013), which in turn affect subsurface hydrologic dynamics and lead to changes in the recharge and discharge of aquifers (Smerdon, 2017). In addition, the loss of groundwater storage causes problems such as land subsidence, reductions in spring water, and reductions in domestic and agricultural water supply (Konikow and Kendy, 2005;Feng et al, 2013;Gong et al, 2018;Deng et al, 2019;He et al, 2020). At present, there are few studies on the impact of climate change on groundwater storage, especially in areas that are heavily influenced by human activities and sensitive to climate change.…”