Earth Sciences Remote Sensing Lab |
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Integration of GRACE Data with Inferences from Hydrologic Models, Geochemical Data, and Field Data for a Better Understanding of the Time-Dependent Water Storage Variability in Large-Scale Aquifers: Case Studies from Northern Africa
We
are developing and applying an interdisciplinary system approach (involving
analyses of GRACE gravity, remote sensing, and geochemical data, along with
hydrologic modeling) to assess and calibrate GRACE data for monitoring
groundwater recharge, discharge, and flow in large-scale aquifers. The Nubian
Aquifer of North Africa was chosen as a test site, because its extensive areal
distribution allows temporal gravity variations to be detected with accuracy;
its hyperarid conditions facilitate calibration of GRACE gravity data; and its
potential for demonstrating the utility of GRACE data to resolve issues
pertaining to recharge and discharge rates, the magnitude and direction of
groundwater flow, and the connectivity of subbasins. Results obtained from this
research could provide straightforward techniques for monitoring storage
variability in groundwater resources in arid and semi-arid countries worldwide.
This work is being conducted jointly by scientists from Western Michigan
University, Argonne National Laboratory, the University of Illinois at Chicago,
the Macquarie University (Sydney, Australia), and Cairo University (Cairo,
Egypt). The work will build on two decades of collaborative research efforts
with our Egyptian colleagues.
Collaborators: Argonne National Laboratory, Cairo University (Cairo, Egypt), Macquarie University (Sydney, Australia), University of Illinois at Chicago Sponsor: NASA Science Mission Directorate |
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