Trend of China land water storage redistribution at medi- and large-spatial scales in recent five years by satellite gravity observations

重力卫星观测为研究中长空间尺度陆地水量变化趋势提供了崭新的途径. 利用近5年重力卫星GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment)的时变重力场观测数据研究了我国中长空间尺度陆地水储量变化趋势. 结果显示, 我国陆地水量变化趋势幅度较大的主要有5个典型区域: 华北京津冀地区、青藏高原区域、三峡库区、青川甘交界区域以及新疆阿尔金山自然保护区. 前两个区域, 陆地水(冰)储量存在明显的减少趋势. 在华北的京津冀地区, 2003~2007年该区域陆地水量以大约2.4 cm/a的速率下降, 相当于约52亿立方米/年(河北省约45亿立方米/年), 河北省水利局统计近30年来, 该省地下水超采平均达到40亿立方米/年; 由GRACE重力卫星“捕捉”到2003年6月三峡蓄水前后库区周围12万平方公里范围内平均水量变化达到5.0 cm等效水柱高; 此外, 研究结果显示在青、川、甘三省(自治区)交界区域陆地水量具有约1.1 cm/a的增加趋势, 表明该区域气候近几年有逐渐变湿润的趋势.

Abstract

The GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment) satellite gravity mission has provided a new method to study land water mass redistribution at medi- and long-spatial scales in recent years. We estimate continental water mass redistribution in China using GRACE observations during 2003 to 2007. The results show some large regions with increase or decrease of land water mass storage in the central northern region, Tibetan Plateau, the Three Gorges region, the place where Qinghai, Sichuan and Gansu provinces meet, and the Altun Mountains region in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. In the first two regions, it is obvious that water (ice) mass storages are decreasing. Water mass in the central northern region decreases at a linear rate of 2.4 cm/a equivalent water height, equal to 5.2 billion cubic meters per year during the five years’ period, and water mass depletion in Hebei Province is ∼ 4.5 billion cubic meters per year in the same period, which is consistent with the average water mass depletion of 4.0 billion cubic meters per year of overused underground water in the recent 30 years estimated by Hebei Province Water Resources Bureau. Furthermore, GRACE can detect the water mass accumulation of ∼ 5 cm equivalent water height within the region spreading over about 0.12 million square kilometers due to the Three Gorges dam construction in June 2003. We also find a water mass gain of ∼ 1.1 cm/a in the areas where Qinghai, Sichuan and Gansu provinces meet. This indicates that the climate of these regions has been becoming gradually humid in recent years.

Paper link： http://www.springerlink.com/content/f602286423l8n574/