Groundwater storage change detection from in situ and GRACE-based estimates in major river basins across India

Soumendra N. Bhanja; Abhijit Mukherjee; Matthew Rodell

doi:10.1080/02626667.2020.1716238

Groundwater storage change detection from in situ and GRACE-based estimates in major river basins across India

Soumendra N. Bhanja, Abhijit Mukherjee, Matthew Rodell

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

38 Scopus citations

Abstract

India has been the subject of many recent groundwater studies due to the rapid depletion of groundwater in large parts of the country. However, few if any of these studies have examined groundwater storage conditions in all of India’s river basins individually. Herein we assess groundwater storage changes in all 22 of India’s major river basins using in situ data from 3420 observation locations for the period 2003–2014. One-month and 12-month standardized precipitation index measures (SPI-1 and SPI-12) indicate fluctuations in the long-term pattern. The Ganges and Brahmaputra basins experienced long-term decreasing trends in precipitation in both 1961–2014 and the study period, 2003–2014. Indeterminate or increasing precipitation trends occurred in other basins. Satellite-based and in situ groundwater storage time series exhibited similar patterns, with increases in most of the basins. However, diminishing groundwater storage (at rates of >0.4 km³/year) was revealed in the Ganges-Brahmaputra River Basin based on in situ observations, which is particularly important due to its agricultural productivity.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	650-659
Number of pages	10
Journal	Hydrological Sciences Journal
Volume	65
Issue number	4
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1080/02626667.2020.1716238
State	Published - Mar 11 2020
Externally published	Yes

Funding

This manuscript uses freely available data of the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB), Government of India. The opinion expressed in the paper is of authors’ own and not of the affiliated departments. We acknowledge CGWB India for providing water level data. GRACE land data were processed by Sean Swenson, supported by the NASA MEaSUREs Program, and are available at http://grace.jpl.nasa.gov. The GLDAS data used in this study were acquired as part of the mission of NASA’s Earth Science Division and archived and distributed by the Goddard Earth Sciences (GES) Data and Information Services Center (DISC). Precipitation data are obtained from the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

Funders	Funder number
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Goddard Earth Sciences
India Meteorological Department

Keywords

GRACE
Indian river basins
groundwater storage
standardized precipitation index (SPI)

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Access to Document

10.1080/02626667.2020.1716238

Cite this

@article{202a3e62c2fd48b3b7d06a37e328a15f,

title = "Groundwater storage change detection from in situ and GRACE-based estimates in major river basins across India",

abstract = "India has been the subject of many recent groundwater studies due to the rapid depletion of groundwater in large parts of the country. However, few if any of these studies have examined groundwater storage conditions in all of India{\textquoteright}s river basins individually. Herein we assess groundwater storage changes in all 22 of India{\textquoteright}s major river basins using in situ data from 3420 observation locations for the period 2003–2014. One-month and 12-month standardized precipitation index measures (SPI-1 and SPI-12) indicate fluctuations in the long-term pattern. The Ganges and Brahmaputra basins experienced long-term decreasing trends in precipitation in both 1961–2014 and the study period, 2003–2014. Indeterminate or increasing precipitation trends occurred in other basins. Satellite-based and in situ groundwater storage time series exhibited similar patterns, with increases in most of the basins. However, diminishing groundwater storage (at rates of >0.4 km3/year) was revealed in the Ganges-Brahmaputra River Basin based on in situ observations, which is particularly important due to its agricultural productivity.",

keywords = "GRACE, Indian river basins, groundwater storage, standardized precipitation index (SPI)",

author = "Bhanja, {Soumendra N.} and Abhijit Mukherjee and Matthew Rodell",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2020, {\textcopyright} 2020 IAHS.",

year = "2020",

month = mar,

day = "11",

doi = "10.1080/02626667.2020.1716238",

language = "English",

volume = "65",

pages = "650--659",

journal = "Hydrological Sciences Journal",

issn = "0262-6667",

publisher = "Taylor and Francis Group",

number = "4",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Groundwater storage change detection from in situ and GRACE-based estimates in major river basins across India

AU - Bhanja, Soumendra N.

AU - Mukherjee, Abhijit

AU - Rodell, Matthew

PY - 2020/3/11

Y1 - 2020/3/11

N2 - India has been the subject of many recent groundwater studies due to the rapid depletion of groundwater in large parts of the country. However, few if any of these studies have examined groundwater storage conditions in all of India’s river basins individually. Herein we assess groundwater storage changes in all 22 of India’s major river basins using in situ data from 3420 observation locations for the period 2003–2014. One-month and 12-month standardized precipitation index measures (SPI-1 and SPI-12) indicate fluctuations in the long-term pattern. The Ganges and Brahmaputra basins experienced long-term decreasing trends in precipitation in both 1961–2014 and the study period, 2003–2014. Indeterminate or increasing precipitation trends occurred in other basins. Satellite-based and in situ groundwater storage time series exhibited similar patterns, with increases in most of the basins. However, diminishing groundwater storage (at rates of >0.4 km3/year) was revealed in the Ganges-Brahmaputra River Basin based on in situ observations, which is particularly important due to its agricultural productivity.

AB - India has been the subject of many recent groundwater studies due to the rapid depletion of groundwater in large parts of the country. However, few if any of these studies have examined groundwater storage conditions in all of India’s river basins individually. Herein we assess groundwater storage changes in all 22 of India’s major river basins using in situ data from 3420 observation locations for the period 2003–2014. One-month and 12-month standardized precipitation index measures (SPI-1 and SPI-12) indicate fluctuations in the long-term pattern. The Ganges and Brahmaputra basins experienced long-term decreasing trends in precipitation in both 1961–2014 and the study period, 2003–2014. Indeterminate or increasing precipitation trends occurred in other basins. Satellite-based and in situ groundwater storage time series exhibited similar patterns, with increases in most of the basins. However, diminishing groundwater storage (at rates of >0.4 km3/year) was revealed in the Ganges-Brahmaputra River Basin based on in situ observations, which is particularly important due to its agricultural productivity.

KW - GRACE

KW - Indian river basins

KW - groundwater storage

KW - standardized precipitation index (SPI)

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85078440104&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1080/02626667.2020.1716238

DO - 10.1080/02626667.2020.1716238

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85078440104

SN - 0262-6667

VL - 65

SP - 650

EP - 659

JO - Hydrological Sciences Journal

JF - Hydrological Sciences Journal

IS - 4

ER -

Groundwater storage change detection from in situ and GRACE-based estimates in major river basins across India

Abstract

Funding

Keywords

UN SDGs

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this