Identifying water mass depletion in northern Iraq observed by GRACE
| Autor: | Diary Ali Mohammed Al-Manmi, Ernst Schrama, Theo Olsthoorn, Gert Mulder, Ebel Smidt |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2015 |
| Předmět: |
lcsh:GE1-350
geography Water mass geography.geographical_feature_category lcsh:T Discharge lcsh:Geography. Anthropology. Recreation Aquifer Annual cycle lcsh:Technology lcsh:TD1-1066 Data assimilation lcsh:G OA-Fund TU Delft Climatology Moderate-resolution imaging spectroradiometer Precipitation lcsh:Environmental technology. Sanitary engineering lcsh:Environmental sciences Groundwater Geology |
| Zdroj: | Hydrology and Earth System Sciences Discussions, 11, 2014 Hydrology and Earth System Sciences Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, Vol 19, Iss 3, Pp 1487-1500 (2015) Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 19 (3), 2015 |
| ISSN: | 1607-7938 1812-2108 1027-5606 |
| Popis: | Observations acquired by Gravity Recovery And Climate Experiment (GRACE) mission indicate a mass loss of 31 ± 3 km3 or 130 ± 14 mm in Northern Iraq between 2007 and 2009. This data is used as an independent validation of a hydrologic model of the region including lake mass variations. We developed a rainfall–runoff model for five tributaries of the Tigris River, based on local geology and climate conditions. Model inputs are precipitation from Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission (TRMM) observations, and potential evaporation from GLDAS model parameters. Our model includes a representation of the karstified aquifers that cause large natural groundwater variations in this region. Observed river discharges were used to calibrate our model. In order to get the total mass variations, we corrected for lake mass variations derived from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) in combination with satellite altimetry and some in-situ data. Our rainfall–runoff model confirms that Northern Iraq suffered a drought between 2007 and 2009 and is consistent with the mass loss observed by GRACE over that period. Also, GRACE observed the annual cycle predicted by the rainfall–runoff model. The total mass depletion seen by GRACE between 2007 and 2009 is mainly explained by a lake mass depletion of 74 ± 4 mm and a natural groundwater depletion of 37 ± 6 mm. Our findings indicate that man-made groundwater extraction has a minor influence in this region while depletion of lake mass and geology play a key role. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
| Externí odkaz: |
|