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AGU: Geophysical Research Letters

 

Keywords

  • surface water
  • GRACE satellites
  • Amazon

Index Terms

  • Geodesy and Gravity: Satellite geodesy: results
  • Global Change: Climate variability
  • Global Change: Global climate models
  • Global Change: Water cycles
  • Geodesy and Gravity: Global change from geodesy

Abstract

GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS, VOL. 36, L09403, 5 PP., 2009
doi:10.1029/2009GL037910

Dynamics of surface water storage in the Amazon inferred from measurements of inter-satellite distance change

Shin-Chan Han

Planetary Geodynamics Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, USA

Goddard Earth Science and Technology Center, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Hyungjun Kim

Institute of Industrial Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan

In-Young Yeo

Department of Geography, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA

Pat Yeh

Institute of Industrial Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan

Taikan Oki

Institute of Industrial Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan

Ki-Weon Seo

Korea Polar Research Institute, Incheon, South Korea

Doug Alsdorf

School of Earth Science, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA

Scott B. Luthcke

Planetary Geodynamics Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, USA

Terrestrial water storage in the Amazon basin and its surrounding areas is studied by exploring the instantaneous measurements of distance changes between two satellites from the GRACE mission. The surface water in the channels and floodplains can be significant in weighing total water storage. Its magnitude can be as large as soil moisture perturbing the motions of the satellites to a detectable amount by the on-board instrument. The river runoff routing simulations indicate the effective velocity throughout the Amazon basin over the years is about 30 cm/s with significant seasonal change. The lower velocity, during rising stages and peak water season, and the faster velocity, during falling stages, are delineated from the observations. The backwater effects may impact such seasonal change on the overall flow velocity. Direct assimilation of GRACE tracking data can contribute to land surface dynamic processes by resolving the time scale of transport in rivers and streams.

Received 24 February 2009; accepted 8 April 2009; published 12 May 2009.

Citation: Han, S.-C., H. Kim, I.-Y. Yeo, P. Yeh, T. Oki, K.-W. Seo, D. Alsdorf, and S. B. Luthcke (2009), Dynamics of surface water storage in the Amazon inferred from measurements of inter-satellite distance change, Geophys. Res. Lett., 36, L09403, doi:10.1029/2009GL037910.

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