Water cycle changes in the headwater regions of the Yangtze River and Yellow River basins during the past three decades

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhicheng Xu ◽  
Lei Cheng ◽  
Pan Liu
Keyword(s):  
Yangtze River ◽  
Water Cycle ◽  
Yellow River ◽  
Water Storage ◽  
Total Water ◽  
Atmospheric Water ◽  
Water Budgets ◽  
Terrestrial Water ◽  
Rr Variability

<p>Yangtze River and Yellow River are the two most important rivers in China. Long-term observation shows that runoff ratio (i.e., runoff/precipitation, denoted as RR) in the headwater of both Yangtze River (HYZR) and Yellow River (HYER) has experienced significant decrease and then increase trend (referred as V-change) during the period 1980-2015. Over the whole period, RR of the HYER shows significant decreasing trend (-0.02/10a, p < 0.05), while it is not significant for the HYZR. Changes in RR in both HYZR and HYER pose great challenge on runoff predication and water management in the downstream. However, driven mechanisms underlying the V-change of RR are still unclear. Here, based on ground-based and remote sensing datasets, both terrestrial and atmospheric water budgets are investigated to understand the evolution of RR in the headwater regions of Yangtze River and Yellow River. Terrestrial water budgets are for evaporation estimation and water cycle analysis. Atmospheric water budgets are used to calibrate the estimated evaporation. Results show that TWS-REC agrees well with observed total water storage (TWS-GRACE) in both HYZR (r = 0.94, NSE = 0.83) and HYER (r = 0.93, NSE = 0.83) over the period of 2003-2012. Estimated evaporation from both terrestrial water balance and atmospheric water balance method also agree well with each other in the HYZR (r = 0.89, NSE = 0.80) and in the HYER (r = 0.88, NSE = 0.79) over the period of 2000-2015. It suggests that reconstructed TWS and estimated evaporation are reliable for analyzing long-term water cycle in the study areas. Both the ratio of the estimated evaporation to precipitation (ER) in two basin increase first and then decreased during the study period. The correlation coefficients between ER and RR in the HYZR and HYER are -0.63 and -0.79, respectively, presenting that RR variability could be mainly caused by the evolution ER. Meanwhile it also indicates the nonignored role of total water storage (TWS) changes in RR variability in the two basin. TWS-REC in both regions have experienced significant increasing with rate of 26 mm/10a (HYZR, p < 0.05) and 17mm/10a (HYER, p < 0.05), later of which is the main reason of downward trend of RR in HYER. Further analysis indicates that changes in ER are resulted from comprehensive effects of precipitation variability (26.4mm/10a, p < 0.05 in HYZR and 3.5mm/10a p > 0.1 in HYER) and of dramatic climate warming (0.6℃/10a, p < 0.05 in HYZR and 0.5℃/10a, p < 0.05 in HYER). TWS changes in both basin are positively related with dramatic temperature rising and significant vegetation greening. It means that annual fluctuation of precipitation-runoff process (i.e., V-change RR) has affected negatively by climate warming and vegetation greening in the HYZR and HYER. These findings can advance our understanding of the runoff ratio evolution and water cycle in the headwater of Yangtze River and Yellow River and it is also important for ecological conservation strategy and downstream water resources management.</p>

scholarly journals Long-term Total Water Storage Change from a SAtellite Water Cycle (SAWC) reconstruction over large south Asian basins

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victor Pellet ◽  
Filipe Aires ◽  
Fabrice Papa ◽  
Simon Munier ◽  
Bertrand Decharme
Keyword(s):  
Water Resources ◽  
Climate Variability ◽  
Water Cycle ◽  
Water Storage ◽  
Anthropogenic Pressure ◽  
Total Water ◽  
Storage Change ◽  
Discharge Measurements

Abstract. The Total Water Storage Change (TWSC) over land is a major component of the global water cycle, with a large influence on climate variability, sea level budget and water resources availability for human life. Its first estimates at large-scale were made available with GRACE observations for the 2002–2016 period, followed since 2018 by the launch of GRACE-FO mission. In this paper, using an approach based on the water mass conservation rule, we proposed to merge satellite-based observations of precipitation and evapotranspiration along with in situ river discharge measurements to estimate TWSC over longer time periods (typically from 1980 to 2016), compatible with climate studies. We performed this task over five major Asian basins, subject to both large climate variability and strong anthropogenic pressure for water resources, and for which long term record of in situ discharge measurements are available. Our SAtellite Water Cycle (SAWC) reconstruction provides TWSC estimates very coherent in terms of seasonal and interannual variations with independent sources of information such as (1) TWSC GRACE-derived observations (over the 2002–2015 period), (2) ISBA-CTRIP model simulations (1980–2015), and (3) multi-satellite inundation extent (1993–2007). This analysis shows the advantages of the use of multiple satellite-derived data sets along with in situ data to perform hydrologically coherent reconstruction of missing water component estimate. It provides a new critical source of information for long term monitoring of TWSC and to better understand their critical role in the global and terrestrial water cycle.

scholarly journals Long-term total water storage change from a Satellite Water Cycle reconstruction over large southern Asian basins

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (6) ◽  
pp. 3033-3055
Author(s):  
Victor Pellet ◽  
Filipe Aires ◽  
Fabrice Papa ◽  
Simon Munier ◽  
Bertrand Decharme
Keyword(s):  
Climate Variability ◽  
Water Cycle ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Water Storage ◽  
Anthropogenic Pressure ◽  
Total Water ◽  
Storage Change ◽  
Discharge Measurements

Abstract. The total water storage change (TWSC) over land is a major component of the global water cycle, with a large influence on the climate variability, sea level budget and water resource availability for human life. Its first estimates at a large scale were made available with GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment) observations for the 2002–2016 period, followed since 2018 by the launch of the GRACE-FO (Follow-On) mission. In this paper, using an approach based on the water mass conservation rule, we propose to merge satellite-based observations of precipitation and evapotranspiration with in situ river discharge measurements to estimate TWSC over longer time periods (typically from 1980 to 2016), compatible with climate studies. We performed this task over five major Asian basins, subject to both large climate variability and strong anthropogenic pressure for water resources and for which long-term records of in situ discharge measurements are available. Our Satellite Water Cycle (SAWC) reconstruction provides TWSC estimates very coherent in terms of seasonal and interannual variations with independent sources of information such as (1) TWSC GRACE-derived observations (over the 2002–2015 period), (2) ISBA-CTRIP (Interactions between Soil, Biosphere and Atmosphere CNRM – Centre National de Recherches Météorologiques – Total Runoff Integrating Pathways) model simulations (1980–2015) and (3) the multi-satellite inundation extent (1993–2007). This analysis shows the advantages of the use of multiple satellite-derived datasets along with in situ data to perform a hydrologically coherent reconstruction of a missing water component estimate. It provides a new critical source of information for the long-term monitoring of TWSC and to better understand its critical role in the global and terrestrial water cycle.

scholarly journals Continental-Scale Basin Water Storage Variation from Global and Dynamically Downscaled Atmospheric Water Budgets in Comparison with GRACE-Derived Observations

2012 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 1589-1603 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin Fersch ◽  
Harald Kunstmann ◽  
András Bárdossy ◽  
Balaji Devaraju ◽  
Nico Sneeuw
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Amazon Basin ◽  
Climate Model ◽  
Water Storage ◽  
Terrestrial Water Storage ◽  
Atmospheric Water ◽  
Flux Divergence ◽  
Water Budgets ◽  
Continental Scale ◽  
Terrestrial Water

Abstract Since 2002, the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) has provided gravity-derived observations of variations in the terrestrial water storage. Because of the lack of suitable direct observations of large-scale water storage changes, a validation of the GRACE observations remains difficult. An approach that allows the evaluation of terrestrial water storage variations from GRACE by a comparison with those derived from aerologic water budgets using the atmospheric moisture flux divergence is presented. In addition to reanalysis products from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts and the National Centers for Environmental Prediction, high-resolution regional atmospheric simulations were produced with the Weather Research and Forecast modeling system (WRF) and validated against globally gridded observational data of precipitation and 2-m temperature. The study encompasses six different climatic and hydrographic regions: the Amazon basin, the catchments of Lena and Yenisei, central Australia, the Sahara, the Chad depression, and the Niger. Atmospheric-related uncertainty bounds based on the range of the ensemble of estimated terrestrial water storage variations were computed using different configurations of the regional climate model WRF and different global reanalyses. Atmospheric-related uncertainty ranges with those originating from the GRACE products of GeoForschungsZentrum Potsdam, the Center for Space Research, and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory were also compared. It is shown that dynamically downscaled atmospheric fields are able to add value to global reanalyses, depending on the geographical location of the considered catchments. Global and downscaled atmospheric water budgets are in reasonable agreement (r ≈ 0.7 − 0.9) with GRACE-derived terrestrial mass variations. However, atmospheric- and satellite-based approaches show shortcomings for regions with small storage change rates (<20–25 mm month−1).

scholarly journals Emerging Changes in Terrestrial Water Storage Variability as a Target for Future Satellite Gravity Missions

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (23) ◽  
pp. 3898
Author(s):  
Laura Jensen ◽  
Annette Eicker ◽  
Henryk Dobslaw ◽  
Roland Pail
Keyword(s):  
Land Surface ◽  
Seasonal Cycle ◽  
Climate Model ◽  
Water Cycle ◽  
Water Storage ◽  
Phase Changes ◽  
Terrestrial Water Storage ◽  
Satellite Gravity ◽  
Terrestrial Water

Climate change will affect the terrestrial water cycle during the next decades by impacting the seasonal cycle, interannual variations, and long-term linear trends of water stored at or beyond the surface. Since 2002, terrestrial water storage (TWS) has been globally observed by the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) and its follow-on mission (GRACE-FO). Next Generation Gravity Missions (NGGMs) are planned to extend this record in the near future. Based on a multi-model ensemble of climate model output provided by the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) covering the years 2002–2100, we assess possible changes in TWS variability with respect to present-day conditions to help defining scientific requirements for NGGMs. We find that present-day GRACE accuracies are sufficient to detect amplitude and phase changes in the seasonal cycle in a third of the land surface, whereas a five times more accurate double-pair mission could resolve such changes almost everywhere outside the most arid landscapes of our planet. We also select one individual model experiment out of the CMIP6 ensemble that closely matches both GRACE observations and the multi-model median of all CMIP6 realizations, which might serve as basis for satellite mission performance studies extending over many decades to demonstrate the suitability of NGGM satellite missions to monitor long-term climate variations in the terrestrial water cycle.

scholarly journals Analysis of long-term terrestrial water storage variations in the Yangtze River basin

2013 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. 1985-2000 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Huang ◽  
M. S. Salama ◽  
M. S. Krol ◽  
R. van der Velde ◽  
A. Y. Hoekstra ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
River Basin ◽  
Yangtze River ◽  
Yangtze River Basin ◽  
Water Storage ◽  
The Yangtze River ◽  
Terrestrial Water Storage ◽  
Terrestrial Water ◽  
The Yangtze River Basin ◽  
Lower Yangtze ◽  
Gauging Station

Abstract. In this study, we analyze 32 yr of terrestrial water storage (TWS) data obtained from the Interim Reanalysis Data (ERA-Interim) and Noah model from the Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS-Noah) for the period 1979 to 2010. The accuracy of these datasets is validated using 26 yr (1979–2004) of runoff data from the Yichang gauging station and comparing them with 32 yr of independent precipitation data obtained from the Global Precipitation Climatology Centre Full Data Reanalysis Version 6 (GPCC) and NOAA's PRECipitation REConstruction over Land (PREC/L). Spatial and temporal analysis of the TWS data shows that TWS in the Yangtze River basin has decreased significantly since the year 1998. The driest period in the basin occurred between 2005 and 2010, and particularly in the middle and lower Yangtze reaches. The TWS figures changed abruptly to persistently high negative anomalies in the middle and lower Yangtze reaches in 2004. The year 2006 is identified as major inflection point, at which the system starts exhibiting a persistent decrease in TWS. Comparing these TWS trends with independent precipitation datasets shows that the recent decrease in TWS can be attributed mainly to a decrease in the amount of precipitation. Our findings are based on observations and modeling datasets and confirm previous results based on gauging station datasets.

Long‐Term (1979‐Present) Total Water Storage Anomalies Over the Global Land Derived by Reconstructing GRACE Data

2021 ◽  
Vol 48 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fupeng Li ◽  
Jürgen Kusche ◽  
Nengfang Chao ◽  
Zhengtao Wang ◽  
Anno Löcher
Keyword(s):  
Water Storage ◽  
Total Water ◽  
Grace Data ◽  
Global Land

scholarly journals Developing and Demonstrating Climate Indicators for Monitoring the Changing Water Cycle

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xia Feng ◽  
Paul Houser
Keyword(s):  
Water Cycle ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Atmospheric Moisture ◽  
Spatial Correlations ◽  
Climate Indicators ◽  
Terrestrial Water ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Atmospheric Moisture Content ◽  
Daily Total

In this study, we developed a suite of spatially and temporally scalable Water Cycle Indicators (WCI) to examine the long-term changes in water cycle variability and demonstrated their use over the contiguous US (CONUS) during 1979–2013 using the MERRA reanalysis product. The WCI indicators consist of six water balance variables monitoring the mean conditions and extreme aspects of the changing water cycle. The variables include precipitation (P), evaporation (E), runoff (R), terrestrial water storage (dS/dt), moisture convergence flux (C), and atmospheric moisture content (dW/dt). Means are determined as the daily total value, while extremes include wet and dry extremes, defined as the upper and lower 10th percentile of daily distribution. Trends are assessed for annual and seasonal indicators at several different spatial scales. Our results indicate that significant changes have occurred in most of the indicators, and these changes are geographically and seasonally dependent. There are more upward trends than downward trends in all eighteen annual indicators averaged over the CONUS. The spatial correlations between the annual trends in means and extremes are statistically significant across the country and are stronger forP,E,R, andCcompared todS/dtanddW/dt.

A Comparative Study on Calculating Water Storage Change of River Basin Based on Two Methods

2014 ◽  
Vol 1030-1032 ◽  
pp. 465-471
Author(s):  
Min Xu ◽  
Jian Wang ◽  
Qiu Dong Zhao
Keyword(s):  
River Basin ◽  
Yangtze River ◽  
Yellow River ◽  
Yangtze River Basin ◽  
Water Storage ◽  
Critical Issue ◽  
Frozen Soil ◽  
Global Land ◽  
Grace Satellites ◽  
Storage Change

Water scarcity is a critical issue in most regions of China; however, river basin groundwater monitoring is extremely limited.This study evaluates the ability of the GRACE satellites and Global Land Data Assimilation System(GLDAS) to monitor groundwater storage in the Yellow River Basin and Yangtze River Basin, China, which is subjected to intense irrigation, production and living. The simulated terrestrial water storage change data which was calculateed by Global Land Data Assimilate System was used to compare the accuracy of GRACE data. Results show that both two datas show significant seasonal cycle in the Yangtze River and Yellow River (except frozen soil), the correlation is 0.89 and 0.84(p<0.05).Two methods have some differences on grid scales, the results which was retrieved by GRACE satellites have better continuity than simulated by GLDAS. GRACE inversion results reflect deeper water storge change in soil, and GLDAS simply reflect surface soil moisture.

scholarly journals Past terrestrial water storage (1980–2008) in the Amazon Basin reconstructed from GRACE and in situ river gauging data

2011 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 533-546 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Becker ◽  
B. Meyssignac ◽  
L. Xavier ◽  
A. Cazenave ◽  
R. Alkama ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Amazon Basin ◽  
Hydrological Modeling ◽  
Water Cycle ◽  
Southern Oscillation ◽  
Water Storage ◽  
Terrestrial Water Storage ◽  
Direct Estimate ◽  
Terrestrial Water

Abstract. Terrestrial water storage (TWS) composed of surface waters, soil moisture, groundwater and snow where appropriate, is a key element of global and continental water cycle. Since 2002, the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) space gravimetry mission provides a new tool to measure large-scale TWS variations. However, for the past few decades, direct estimate of TWS variability is accessible from hydrological modeling only. Here we propose a novel approach that combines GRACE-based TWS spatial patterns with multi-decadal-long in situ river level records, to reconstruct past 2-D TWS over a river basin. Results are presented for the Amazon Basin for the period 1980–2008, focusing on the interannual time scale. Results are compared with past TWS estimated by the global hydrological model ISBA-TRIP. Correlations between reconstructed past interannual TWS variability and known climate forcing modes over the region (e.g., El Niño-Southern Oscillation and Pacific Decadal Oscillation) are also estimated. This method offers new perspective for improving our knowledge of past interannual TWS in world river basins where natural climate variability (as opposed to direct anthropogenic forcing) drives TWS variations.

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