Spatio-temporal variability of terrestrial water storage in the Yangtze River Basin: Response to climate changes

Abstract

The Yangtze River Basin (YRB) is an important region for China's economic development. However, it has a complex terrain layout, most of which is affected by monsoon weather, and the geographical and temporal distribution of water resources is severely unbalanced. Therefore, the detailed analysis of spatio-temporal water mass changes is helpful to the development and rational utilization of water resources in the YRB. In this study, the variation of terrestrial water storage (TWS) is monitored by Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellite gravity. We find that the University of Texas Center for Space Research (CSR) solution shows a notable difference with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in space, but the general trend is consistent in time series. Then the GRACE inferred water mass variation reveals that the YRB has experienced several drought and flood events over the past two decades. Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS) results are similar to GRACE. Furthermore, the overall precipitation trend tends to be stable in space, but it is greatly influenced by the strong El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), which is the response to global climate change. The upper YRB is less affected by ENSO and shows a more stable water storage signal with respect to the lower YRB.