How can the geodesists at TU Graz utilize data from area to make accurate declarations about groundwater tanks? Torsten Mayer-Gürr and his team provide the overall mass, from which the mass modifications in the rivers and lakes are then subtracted, the soil snow, moisture, and ice are also subtracted and finally just the groundwater remains.
Europe lacks groundwater– a lot of groundwater. Since then, there has been no significant increase in groundwater levels; the levels have stayed constantly low. As part of the EUs Global Gravity-based Groundwater Product (G3P) project, they used satellite gravimetry to observe the worlds groundwater resources and documented their changes in recent years.
Far-reaching repercussions
The effects of this extended drought were apparent in Europe in the summer season of 2022. Dry riverbeds, stagnant waters that gradually disappeared and with them numerous influence on nature and individuals. Not only did numerous marine types lose their habitat and dry soils trigger lots of problems for agriculture, however the energy scarcity in Europe likewise intensified as a result. Nuclear reactor in France did not have the cooling water to produce sufficient electrical power and hydroelectric power plants might not fulfill their function without adequate water either.
The Grace Follow-on satellites Tom and Jerry measure the mass modifications on earth. Credit: NASA– JPL-Caltech
Groundwater measurement from area
How can the geodesists at TU Graz utilize data from area to make accurate statements about groundwater tanks? At the heart of the G3P project are twin satellites named Tom and Jerry, which orbit the Earth in a polar orbit at an elevation of simply under 490 kilometers.
The distance in between the satellites is being constantly and specifically measured. If they fly over a mountain, the satellite in front is at first faster than the one behind since of the increased mass under it. Once it has passed the mountain, it slows down somewhat once again, however the rear satellite speeds up as soon as it reaches the mountain.
Regular monthly gravity map of the Earth
All of this takes place at a flight speed of around 30,000 km/h. The 2 satellites therefore handle 15 Earth orbits a day, which means that they achieve total protection of the Earths surface after one month. This in turn indicates that TU Graz can provide a gravity map of the Earth each month. “The processing and the computational effort here are rather big. We have a range measurement every 5 seconds and thus about half a million measurements monthly. From this we then figure out gravity field maps,” states Torsten Mayer-Gürr.
Mass minus mass equates to mass
However, the gravity map does not yet determine the quantity of groundwater. This is since the satellites reveal all mass changes and make no distinction between lakes, sea or groundwater. This needs cooperation with all other partners in the EU G3P project. Torsten Mayer-Gürr and his group supply the overall mass, from which the mass modifications in the rivers and lakes are then deducted, the soil snow, ice, and moisture are likewise deducted and lastly just the groundwater remains.
Each of these other masses has its own professionals who contribute their information here. These lie in Austria (Graz University of Technology, Vienna University of Technology, Earth Observation Data Center EODC), Germany (GeoForschungsZentrum GFZ in Potsdam), Switzerland (University of Bern, University of Zurich), France (Collection Localisation Satellites CLS, Laboratoire dEtudes en Géophysique et Océanographie Spatiales LEGOS, Magellium), Spain (FutureWater), Finland (Finnish Meteorological Institute) and the Netherlands (International Groundwater Resources Assessment Centre IGRAC).
Europe has a water problem
The outcome of this cooperation reveals that the water scenario in Europe has actually now become very precarious. Torsten Mayer-Gürr had actually not anticipated this on such a big scale. “A few years earlier, I would never have envisioned that water would be an issue here in Europe, particularly in Germany or Austria. We are actually getting problems with the water system here– we need to consider this,” he discusses. From his viewpoint, it is initially of all necessary to be able to record the continuing dry spell utilizing information and to have continuous satellite objectives on this in area.
The European Space Agency ESA and its United States counterpart NASA will continue this research study with the MAGIC (Mass-change And Geoscience International Constellation) job. TU Graz will again be on board for the information assessment.
Reference: “Quantifying the Central European Droughts in 2018 and 2019 With GRACE Follow-On” by Eva Boergens, Andreas Güntner, Henryk Dobslaw and Christoph Dahle, 8 July 2020, Geophysical Research Letters.DOI: 10.1029/ 2020GL087285.
Currently in 2019 the amount of groundwater in Central Europe was really low. Credit; Kvas– TU Graz
Europe lacks groundwater– a great deal of groundwater. The continent has actually already been struggling with an extreme drought because 2018. This is validated by satellite data evaluated at the Institute of Geodesy at TU Graz.
Europe has actually been experiencing an extreme dry spell for years. Throughout the continent, groundwater levels have been regularly low because 2018, even if extreme weather condition occasions with flooding momentarily offer a different photo.
The beginning of this tense scenario is recorded in a publication by Eva Boergens in Geophysical Research Letters from the year 2020. In it, she noted that there was a striking water shortage in Central Europe during the summertime of 2018 and 2019. Ever since, there has been no considerable rise in groundwater levels; the levels have remained constantly low. This is shown by information analyses by Torsten Mayer-Gürr and Andreas Kvas from the Institute of Geodesy at Graz University of Technology (TU Graz). As part of the EUs Global Gravity-based Groundwater Product (G3P) project, they used satellite gravimetry to observe the worlds groundwater resources and recorded their modifications in the last few years.
