Sediment transport in South Asian rivers high enough to impact satellite gravimetry

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  • Universität Bremen
  • Leibniz-Zentrum für Marine Tropenökologie GmbH
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OriginalspracheEnglisch
Seiten (von - bis)1527–1538
Seitenumfang12
FachzeitschriftHydrology and Earth System Sciences
Jahrgang28
Ausgabenummer7
PublikationsstatusVeröffentlicht - 4 Apr. 2024

Abstract

Satellite gravimetry is used to study the global hydrological cycle. It is a key component in the investigation of groundwater depletion on the Indian subcontinent. Terrestrial mass loss caused by river sediment transport is assumed to be below the detection limit in current gravimetric satellites of the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On mission. Thus, it is not considered in the calculation of terrestrial water storage (TWS) from such satellite data. However, the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers, which drain the Indian subcontinent, constitute one of the world’s most sediment-rich river systems. In this study, we estimate the impact of sediment mass loss within their catchments on local trends in gravity and consequential estimates of TWS trends. We find that for the Ganges–Brahmaputra–Meghna catchment sediment transport accounts for (4 ± 2) % of the gravity decrease currently attributed to groundwater depletion. The sediment is mainly eroded from the Himalayas, where correction for sediment mass loss reduces the decrease in TWS by 0.22 cm of equivalent water height per year (14 %). However, sediment mass loss in the Brahmaputra catchment is more than twice that in the Ganges catchment, and sediment is mainly eroded from mountain regions. Thus, the impact on gravimetric TWS trends within the Indo–Gangetic Plain – the main region identified for groundwater depletion – is found to be comparatively small (< 2 %).

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Sediment transport in South Asian rivers high enough to impact satellite gravimetry. / Klemme, Alexandra; Warneke, Thorsten; Bovensmann, Heinrich et al.
in: Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, Jahrgang 28, Nr. 7, 04.04.2024, S. 1527–1538.

Publikation: Beitrag in FachzeitschriftArtikelForschungPeer-Review

Klemme A, Warneke T, Bovensmann H, Weigelt M, Müller J, Rixen T et al. Sediment transport in South Asian rivers high enough to impact satellite gravimetry. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences. 2024 Apr 4;28(7):1527–1538. doi: 10.5194/hess-28-1527-2024
Klemme, Alexandra ; Warneke, Thorsten ; Bovensmann, Heinrich et al. / Sediment transport in South Asian rivers high enough to impact satellite gravimetry. in: Hydrology and Earth System Sciences. 2024 ; Jahrgang 28, Nr. 7. S. 1527–1538.
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abstract = "Satellite gravimetry is used to study the global hydrological cycle. It is a key component in the investigation of groundwater depletion on the Indian subcontinent. Terrestrial mass loss caused by river sediment transport is assumed to be below the detection limit in current gravimetric satellites of the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On mission. Thus, it is not considered in the calculation of terrestrial water storage (TWS) from such satellite data. However, the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers, which drain the Indian subcontinent, constitute one of the world{\textquoteright}s most sediment-rich river systems. In this study, we estimate the impact of sediment mass loss within their catchments on local trends in gravity and consequential estimates of TWS trends. We find that for the Ganges–Brahmaputra–Meghna catchment sediment transport accounts for (4 ± 2) % of the gravity decrease currently attributed to groundwater depletion. The sediment is mainly eroded from the Himalayas, where correction for sediment mass loss reduces the decrease in TWS by 0.22 cm of equivalent water height per year (14 %). However, sediment mass loss in the Brahmaputra catchment is more than twice that in the Ganges catchment, and sediment is mainly eroded from mountain regions. Thus, the impact on gravimetric TWS trends within the Indo–Gangetic Plain – the main region identified for groundwater depletion – is found to be comparatively small (< 2 %).",
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AU - Klemme, Alexandra

AU - Warneke, Thorsten

AU - Bovensmann, Heinrich

AU - Weigelt, Matthias

AU - Müller, Jürgen

AU - Rixen, Tim

AU - Notholt, Justus

AU - Lämmerzahl, Claus

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