Variations in water storage in China over recent decades from GRACE observations and GLDAS

Recent decades have seen significant variations in terrestrial water storage (TWS) across China, with notable increases in regions such as the Hoh Xil, middle and lower reaches of the Changjiang River, southeastern coastal areas, and the headstream region of the Yellow River on the Tibetan Plateau. Conversely, long-term depletions were observed in North China and the southwest rivers region. This study leveraged Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) Tellus products alongside Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS) simulations to analyze TWS trends from 2003 to 2013 across eight major basins. Findings revealed that soil moisture storage contributed over 50% of TWS variance in most basins, with precipitation and runoff exerting a stronger influence on southern regions compared to the north. The study also highlighted potential impacts of groundwater exploitation on TWS responses in the Hai River and Yellow River basins, where TWS continued to decline until 2012.

Mo, X., Wu, J. J., Wang, Q., & Zhou, H. (2016). Variations in water storage in China over recent decades from GRACE observations and GLDAS. Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences, 16(2), 469–482. https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-16-469-2016