TitleNS35A-0371 - Use of GRACE and GRACE-FO to Monitor the Impacts of Tropical Cyclones on Arabia�s Hydrologic Systems
Session Start2022-12-14 14:45:00 CST
Session End2022-12-14 18:15:00 CST
LocationMcCormick Place, Poster Hall, Hall - A
AuthorHassan
Presentation TypeIn Person Poster
AbstractThe frequency and intensity of tropical cyclones over the Arabian Sea increased over the past three decades, possibly due to the warming of the Arabian Sea. Fourteen cyclones (wind speed ? 63 km/h) were reported in the 1990s, 16 in the 2000s, and 18 in the 2010s. During this period, 12 cyclones hit the southern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, three of which were categorized as extremely severe cyclonic storms (ESCS) (wind speed ?167 km/h) and one as a super cyclonic storm (wind speed ? 222 km/h). Those storms brought vast amounts of rainfall inland and could have produced sizable groundwater recharge. We estimated the change in terrestrial water storage from Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) and GRACE-Follow-On (GRACE-FO) and made correlations with Global Precipitation Measurement mission (GPM) data. We accomplished those goals for three cyclones that hit the Arabian Peninsula in 2011 (Keila), 2015 (Chapala), and 2018 (Luban) in three main steps. (1) track/select cyclones with a high wind speed (? 63 km/h) during the GRACE and GRACE-FO operational period (April 2002 to Dec 2021); (2) delineate areas that received precipitation exceeding 10 mm during cyclone activity, and estimating precipitation over each of those areas; and (3) compute the increase in GRACETWS before and after each of the three cyclones. Our preliminary findings reveal the following: (1) cyclones induce extreme precipitation, 2-4 times the largest recorded seasonal precipitation events. (2) The precipitation was extensive (Keila: 6 km3; Chapala: 6.6 km3, Luban: 2.25 km3), it extended over vast areas (Keila: 75,731 km2; Chapala: 94,273 km2; and Luban: 58,944 km2), and produced a noticeable increase in GRACETWS (Keila: 1.3 km3, Chapala: 3.4 km3, and Luban: 0.25 km3). (3) The increase in GRACETWS over both cyclones, Keila and Luban, was depleted over a short period (<2 months) but lasted for over three months for the Chapala cyclone, possibly due to the presence of thick alluvial aquifers and outcrops of the deep aquifer (Umm-Er-Radhuma) in areas affected by cyclone Chapala. We are currently investigating the utility of higher temporal resolution GRACETWS (Sakumura et al., 2016) in capturing the rapid changes in TWS directly after cyclones make landfall.