Estimating terrestrial water storage variations in Chile with the effects of earthquakes deducted

Abstract

ABSTRACT Chile has unevenly distributed water resources, limited water level stations and earthquake-prone geological conditions, making it difficult to accurately and comprehensively monitor Chile’s terrestrial water storage (TWS) variations. The Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) has been widely used to estimate TWS variations. This study uses GRACE solutions and a method of eliminating earthquake effects to estimate TWS variations. The estimation results with earthquake effects deducted show that the rate of TWS variation in Chile is generally a decreasing trend of −0.16 ± 0.096 cm year−1. Furthermore, in the target period, precipitation mainly decreased and evapotranspiration increased. Correlation coefficients between TWS variations, precipitation and evapotranspiration are less than 0.4, suggesting that the factors in TWS are more complex. Temperature also shows an increasing trend of 0.06°C year−1 in Chile. This information will help to understand the characteristics of the TWS variation in Chile and its response to climate change.