#data_products
#terrestrial_water_storage
Name: GRACE-REC
Spatial coverage: global
Spatial resolution: 0.5 degrees
Temporal coverage: MSWEP-based reconstruction 1979-2016, ERA5-based 1979-present, GSWP3-based 1901-2014
Temporal resolution: Monthly (100 ensemble members for each combination of the three meteorological datasets and two GRACE satellite mascons), daily (ensemble mean only)
Gap-free: Yes
Year of publication: 2019
Algorithm: (1) linear water storage model, driven by temperature and precipitation, calibrated against de-seasonalized, de-trendedd GRACE satellite data (2002-2017), (2) spatial autoregressive model was used to generate an ensemble of spatially autocorrelated residuals, to facilitate uncertainty propagation from grid-level to regional or global averages. This method to propagate uncertainty is noteworthy.
Pros: outperforms hydrological and land surface models when evaluated against de-seasonalized, de-trended GRACE terrestrial water data, sea-level budget, basin-scale water balance, and streamflow.
Cons: The trends in GRACE-REC is purely driven by precipitation changes, therefore missing a ton of relevant factors (evapotranspiration change, dams, human water withdrawal, ice melt...). The seasonality is constant and not particularly reliable, either.
