Study on the vertical deformations induced by terrestrial water storage changes in Huang-Huai-Hai river basin

Abstract

Terrestrial water storage (TWS) variations are associated with water mass movements, which may cause the deformation displacements of the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) stations. This study investigates the spatio-temporal TWS variations and addresses the relationship between deformation variations observed in the Huang-Huai-Hai River Basin (HHHRB) and local hydrological features. Results indicate that the vertical velocities at the GNSS stations induced by TWS changes are relatively small, and the impacts of the terrestrial water storage changes are mainly reflected in the changes of seasonal characteristics. Although there is a downward TWS trend from 2011 to 2022 in most HHHRB areas, velocities from the vertical displacements of both Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) and GRACE Follow-On (GFO) and the GNSS reflect that the HHHRB is undergoing an uplift process, while the magnitude of the GRACE/GFO derived velocities is much smaller than that of the GNSS solutions. Common hydrological deformations estimated from GRACE/GFO and GNSS measurements reveal that the TWS-derived displacements can explain 54.5% of the GNSS seasonal variations, with the phases of terrestrial water storage advancing by about one month relative to GNSS common signal phases. Moreover, the decrease of the groundwater storage in the HHHRB has been accelerating since 2008. After reaching its lowest level around mid-2020, it began to rise rapidly, which might be closely related to the implementation of the South-North Water Transfer Central Project.

Keywords

• Terrestrial water storage
• GRACE
• GNSS
• Vertical deformations
• Huang-Huai-Hai river basin