Evaluation of Groundwater Storage Depletion Using GRACE / GRACE Follow-On Data with Land Surface Models and Its Driving Factors in Haihe River Basin, China

Yi Guo, Fuping Gan, Baikun Yan, Juan Bai, Feng Wang, Ruirui Jiang, Naichen Xing and Qi Liu
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Yi Guo: Center for Natural Resources Investigation and Monitoring, China Aero Geophysical Survey and Remote Sensing Center for Natural Resources, Beijing 100083, China
Fuping Gan: Center for Natural Resources Investigation and Monitoring, China Aero Geophysical Survey and Remote Sensing Center for Natural Resources, Beijing 100083, China
Baikun Yan: Center for Natural Resources Investigation and Monitoring, China Aero Geophysical Survey and Remote Sensing Center for Natural Resources, Beijing 100083, China
Juan Bai: Center for Natural Resources Investigation and Monitoring, China Aero Geophysical Survey and Remote Sensing Center for Natural Resources, Beijing 100083, China
Feng Wang: Ecological Environment Engineering Consulting Center, Chinese Academy of Environmental Planning, Beijing 100012, China
Ruirui Jiang: Center for Natural Resources Investigation and Monitoring, China Aero Geophysical Survey and Remote Sensing Center for Natural Resources, Beijing 100083, China
Naichen Xing: Center for Natural Resources Investigation and Monitoring, China Aero Geophysical Survey and Remote Sensing Center for Natural Resources, Beijing 100083, China
Qi Liu: Center for Natural Resources Investigation and Monitoring, China Aero Geophysical Survey and Remote Sensing Center for Natural Resources, Beijing 100083, China

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 3, 1-21

Abstract: Groundwater storage ( GWS ) in the Haihe River Basin (HRB), which is one of the most densely populated and largest agricultural areas in China, is of great importance for the ecosystem environment and socio-economic development. In recent years, large-scale overexploitation of groundwater in HRB has made it one of the global hotspots of GWS depletion. In this study, monthly GWS variations in HRB from 2003 to 2020 were estimated using the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment ( GRACE ) and GRACE Follow-On ( GRACE - FO ) data in combination with three land surface models (LSMs) from the Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS). The results show the following: (1) HRB suffered extensive GWS depletion from 2003 to 2020, which has been aggravated since 2014, with a mean rate of 1.88 cm·yr −1 , which is equivalent to a volume of 6 billion m 3 ·yr −1 . The GWS depletion is more serious in the plain zone (−2.36 cm·yr −1 ) than in the mountainous zone (−1.63 cm·yr −1 ). (2) Climate changes are excluded from the reasons for GWS depletion due to annual precipitation and evaporation being close to normal throughout the period. In addition, GWS changes show a low correlation with meteorological factors. (3) The consumption of groundwater for irrigation and land use/cover changes have been confirmed to be the dominant factors for GWS depletion in HRB. (4) The effects of inter-basin water transfer projects cannot be obviously observed using the GRACE and GRACE - FO ; more inter-basin water transfers are needed for recovering the GWS in HRB. Therefore, it is imperative to control groundwater exploitation and develop a more economical agricultural irrigation structure for the sustainability of groundwater resources in HRB.

Keywords: GRACE; GRACE Follow-On; land surface models; groundwater storage; depletion; Haihe River Basin (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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