The Great Artesian Basin (GAB) in Australia, the largest artesian basin in the world, is rich in groundwater resources. This study analyzed the spatio-temporal characteristics of terrestrial water storage (TWS) in the GAB for 2003–2014 using satellite (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment, GRACE) data, hydrological models’ outputs, and in situ data. A slight increase in TWS was observed for the study period. However, there was a rapid increase in TWS in 2010 and 2011 due to two strong La Nina events. Long-term mean monthly TWS changes showed remarkable agreements with net precipitation. Both GRACE derived and in situ groundwater disclosed similar trend patterns. Groundwater estimated from the PCR-GLOBWB model contributes 26.8% (26.4% from GRACE) to the total TWS variation in the entire basin and even more than 50% in the northern regions. Surface water contributes only 3% to the whole basin but more than 60% to Lake Eyre and the Cooper River. Groundwater, especially deeper than 50 meters, was insensitive to climate factors (i.e., rainfall). Similarly, the groundwater in the northern Cape York Peninsula was influenced by some other factors rather than precipitation. The time-lagged correlation analysis between sea surface height and groundwater storage indicated certain correlations between groundwater and sea level changes.
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Research Article|
August 16 2016
Analysis of the spatio-temporal variability of terrestrial water storage in the Great Artesian Basin, Australia Available to Purchase
Jiabao Yan;
1Institute of Geographic Science and Natural Resources Research/Key Laboratory of Water Cycle and Related Land Surface Processes, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
2University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
E-mail: [email protected]
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Shaofeng Jia;
Shaofeng Jia
1Institute of Geographic Science and Natural Resources Research/Key Laboratory of Water Cycle and Related Land Surface Processes, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
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Aifeng Lv;
Aifeng Lv
1Institute of Geographic Science and Natural Resources Research/Key Laboratory of Water Cycle and Related Land Surface Processes, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
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Rashid Mahmood;
Rashid Mahmood
1Institute of Geographic Science and Natural Resources Research/Key Laboratory of Water Cycle and Related Land Surface Processes, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
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Wenbin Zhu
Wenbin Zhu
1Institute of Geographic Science and Natural Resources Research/Key Laboratory of Water Cycle and Related Land Surface Processes, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
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Water Supply (2017) 17 (2): 324–341.
Article history
Received:
March 28 2016
Accepted:
August 08 2016
Citation
Jiabao Yan, Shaofeng Jia, Aifeng Lv, Rashid Mahmood, Wenbin Zhu; Analysis of the spatio-temporal variability of terrestrial water storage in the Great Artesian Basin, Australia. Water Supply 1 March 2017; 17 (2): 324–341. doi: https://doi.org/10.2166/ws.2016.136
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