Groundwater depletion in the Middle East from GRACE with implications for transboundary water management in the Tigris-Euphrates-Western Iran region
K. Voss,K. Voss,James S. Famiglietti,Min-Hui Lo,Min-Hui Lo,Caroline de Linage,Matthew Rodell,Sean Swenson +7 more
Reads0
Chats0
TLDR
Observations from the GRACE satellite mission are used to evaluate freshwater storage trends in the north-central Middle East, including portions of the Tigris and Euphrates River Basins and western Iran, from January 2003 to December 2009 to indicate that groundwater losses are the major source of this trend.Abstract:
In this study, we use observations from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellite mission to evaluate freshwater storage trends in the north-central Middle East, including portions of the Tigris and Euphrates River Basins and western Iran, from January 2003 to December 2009. GRACE data show an alarming rate of decrease in total water storage of approximately -27.2 plus or minus 0.6 millimeters per year equivalent water height, equal to a volume of 143.6 cubic kimometers during the course of the study period. Additional remote-sensing information and output from land surface models were used to identify that groundwater losses are the major source of this trend. The approach used in this study provides an example of ''best current capabilities'' in regions like the Middle East, where data access can be severely limited. Results indicate that the region lost 17.3 plus or minus 2.1 millimeters per year equivalent water height of groundwater during the study period, or 91.3 plus or minus 10.9 cubic kilometers in volume. Furthermore, results raise important issues regarding water use in transboundary river basins and aquifers, including the necessity of international water use treaties and resolving discrepancies in international water law, while amplifying the need for increased monitoring for core components of the water budget.read more
Citations
More filters
Journal ArticleDOI
Long-term groundwater storage change in Victoria, Australia from satellite gravity and in situ observations
TL;DR: In this paper, satellite gravity measurements from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) and land surface models indicate that groundwater storage in Victoria, Australia had been declining steadily, until a trend reversal around early 2010, attributed to two wetter seasons in 2010 and 2011.
Journal ArticleDOI
Spatial and temporal analysis of drought variability at several time scales in Syria during 1961-2012
TL;DR: In this article, the authors analyzed the observed spatiotemporal characteristics of drought phenomenon in Syria using the Standardised Precipitation Index (SPI) and the standardised precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPE I) for various time scales (3, 6, 9, 12, and 24 months).
Journal ArticleDOI
Present Conditions and Future Challenges of Water Resources Problems in Iraq
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors proposed a water management plan for Iraq which should include strategic water management vision, development of irrigation techniques, reduction of water losses, use of non-conventional water resources and research and development planning.
Journal ArticleDOI
Quantifying Anthropogenic Stress on Groundwater Resources.
B Ashraf,B Ashraf,Amir AghaKouchak,Amin Alizadeh,Mohammad Mousavi Baygi,Hamed Moftakhari,Ali Mirchi,Hassan Anjileli,Kaveh Madani,Kaveh Madani +9 more
TL;DR: A trending threat to the sustainability of groundwater in northwest Iran and California is highlighted, and the need for more careful assessment and monitoring practices as well as strict regulations to mitigate the negative impacts of groundwater overexploitation is highlighted.
Journal ArticleDOI
Rivers and Floodplains as Key Components of Global Terrestrial Water Storage Variability
Augusto Getirana,Augusto Getirana,Sujay V. Kumar,Manuela Girotto,Manuela Girotto,Matthew Rodell +5 more
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors quantified the contribution of rivers and floodplains to terrestrial water storage (TWS) variability and showed that surface water storage contributes 8% of TWS variability globally, but that contribution differs widely among climate zones.
References
More filters
Journal ArticleDOI
Global Precipitation: A 17-Year Monthly Analysis Based on Gauge Observations, Satellite Estimates, and Numerical Model Outputs
Pingping Xie,Phillip A. Arkin +1 more
TL;DR: In this article, the authors constructed a 2.5° latitude-longitude grid for the 17-yr period from 1979 to 1995 by merging several kinds of information sources with different characteristics, including gauge observations, estimates inferred from a variety of satellite observations, and the NCEP-NCAR reanalysis.
Journal ArticleDOI
The Global Land Data Assimilation System
Mathew Rodell,Paul R. Houser,U. Jambor,Jon Gottschalck,Kenneth E. Mitchell,C. J. Meng,Kristi R. Arsenault,B. Cosgrove,J Radakovich,Michael G. Bosilovich,Jared Entin,Jeffrey P. Walker,Dag Lohmann,David Toll +13 more
TL;DR: The Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS) as mentioned in this paper is an uncoupled land surface modeling system that drives multiple models, integrates a huge quantity of observation-based data, runs globally at high resolution (0.25°), and produces results in near-real time (typically within 48 h of the present).
Journal ArticleDOI
A simple hydrologically based model of land surface water and energy fluxes for general circulation models
TL;DR: In this paper, a generalization of the single soil layer variable infiltration capacity (VIC) land surface hydrological model previously implemented in the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL) general circulation model (GCM) is described.
Journal ArticleDOI
Satellite-based estimates of groundwater depletion in India
Matthew Rodell,Isabella Velicogna,Isabella Velicogna,Isabella Velicogna,James S. Famiglietti +4 more
TL;DR: The available evidence suggests that unsustainable consumption of groundwater for irrigation and other anthropogenic uses is likely to be the cause of groundwater depletion in northwest India and the consequences for the 114,000,000 residents of the region may include a reduction of agricultural output and shortages of potable water, leading to extensive socioeconomic stresses.
Journal ArticleDOI
GRACE measurements of mass variability in the Earth system.
TL;DR: Geoid variations observed over South America that can be largely attributed to surface water and groundwater changes show a clear separation between the large Amazon watershed and the smaller watersheds to the north.