Detection of extreme hydrological droughts in the poyang lake basin during 2021-2022 using GNSS-derived daily terrestrial water storage anomalies

Yujie Peng; Gang Chen; Nengfang Chao; Zhengtao Wang; Tangting Wu; Xinyu Luo

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.170875

Detection of extreme hydrological droughts in the poyang lake basin during 2021-2022 using GNSS-derived daily terrestrial water storage anomalies

Sci Total Environ. 2024 Apr 1:919:170875. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.170875. Epub 2024 Feb 13.

Authors

Yujie Peng¹, Gang Chen², Nengfang Chao³, Zhengtao Wang⁴, Tangting Wu⁵, Xinyu Luo⁵

Affiliations

¹ College of Marine Science and Technology, Hubei Key Laboratory of Marine Geological Resources, Key Laboratory of Geological Survey and Evaluation of Ministry of Education, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China.
² College of Marine Science and Technology, Hubei Key Laboratory of Marine Geological Resources, Key Laboratory of Geological Survey and Evaluation of Ministry of Education, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China. Electronic address: ddwhcg@cug.edu.cn.
³ College of Marine Science and Technology, Hubei Key Laboratory of Marine Geological Resources, Key Laboratory of Geological Survey and Evaluation of Ministry of Education, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China. Electronic address: chaonf@cug.edu.cn.
⁴ School of Geodesy and Geomatics, Key Laboratory of Geospace Environment and Geodesy, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430079, China; Hubei Luojia Laboratory, China.
⁵ School of Geomatics, East China University of Technology, Nanchang 330013, China.

PMID: 38360307
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.170875

Abstract

Poyang Lake is the largest freshwater lake in China, serving as a natural reservoir and playing a paramount role in climate regulation, ecological environment, and water resource management. However, in recent years, Poyang Lake has approached desiccation multiple times, with severe droughts becoming increasingly common. Consequently, precise quantification and analysis of the terrestrial water storage anomalies (TWSA) and drought characteristics of the Poyang Lake basin (PLB) are of profound scientific and practical significance. This paper, for the first time, utilizes data for the period 2021-2022 from 77 newly-established GNSS observation stations in the PLB to precisely determine its vertical crustal displacement, invert daily and monthly TWSA, and investigate extreme hydrological drought. The results reveal the following: 1) The annual amplitude range of vertical surface displacements at GNSS stations in the Poyang Lake basin is from 7 to 14 mm, with the most substantial seasonal vertical displacements occurring during the months of June and July; 2) monthly GNSS-TWSA maintains a commendable consistency with TWSA data obtained from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE), the Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS), and precipitation, with correlation coefficients of 0.67, 0.55, and 0.62, respectively; 3) at daily scale, the GNSS-derived Drought Severity Index (GNSS-DSI) accurately recorded the severity and intensity of eight drought events in the PLB during 2021-2022, in particular the period of extensive drought between October 2021 and February 2022, when drought intensity reaching a notable 1.03, which is classified as an extreme and prolonged drought event. Additionally, at local temporal scales, daily GNSS-DSI exhibits heightened sensitivity to drought signals. This study provides novel technological tools and datasets for multi-source satellite-based drought monitoring in the PLB.

Keywords: Drought; GNSS; Poyang Lake basin; Surface vertical displacement; Terrestrial water storage anomalies.