In the generation of the standard GRACE gravity fields, the K-Band Ranging (KBR) system data is used in its range-rate mode. Because time derivatives attenuate the gravity signal relative to the data noise at the lower frequencies, it is thought that solutions using range data might have better low-degree (low-frequency) characteristics. The purpose of this work is to detail the methods required to generate range-based solutions, to determine some of the properties of these solutions and then to compare them to range-rate based solutions. It is demonstrated that the range-based solutions are feasible. Different subarc lengths and parameterizations were considered. Although, the most effective combination of subarc lengths and parameterizations are not picked, it is concluded that estimating the mixed periodic term along with bias, bias-rate, bias-acceleration and periodic terms degrades the quality of the range based solution and therefore should not be used. Further study is necessary to pick the optimal combination of subarc length and parameterization which would be used in the time-series analysis. / text

Desastres naturais (secas, enchentes, etc) têm resultado em perdas humanas e grandes prejuízos financeiros em diversos lugares do mundo. Os recentes períodos de seca ocorridos na região sudeste do Brasil mostraram a importância de se dispor de estratégias de mitigação dos efeitos decorrentes desses eventos extremos. Um pré-requisito para prever impactos desses eventos no futuro, é compreender como os mesmos ocorreram no passado, caracterizando-os espacial e temporalmente. Diante do exposto, o objetivo deste trabalho é quantificar os impactos regionais no sistema hidrológico causados por eventos extremos e identificar conexões entre as secas meteorológicas e hidrológicas, usando a bacia do rio Paraná como estudo de caso. Para tanto, foram identificados e caracterizados os principais eventos de seca ocorridos entre 1995 e 2015, analisaram-se as perdas de água nos componentes do balanço hídrico e no armazenamento total de água. Foram utilizados dados de sensoriamento remoto, incluindo medições da missão GRACE de anomalias no armazenamento total de água terrestre (TWSA), e estimativas de precipitação e evapotranspiração pelos satélites TRMM e MODIS, respectivamente. Simulações de modelos globais de assimilação de dados de superfície terrestre forneceram estimativas de escoamento superficial e umidade do solo. Foram coletados dados de 37 reservatórios para quantificar as perdas de água no armazenamento em terra. Os resultados mostram que o TWSA diminuiu 150 ± 50 km3 entre 2011 e 2015 na bacia do rio Paraná, o armazenamento dos reservatórios diminuiu 30% em relação à capacidade máxima do sistema com taxas de -17 a -25 km3 ano-1 durante as secas. Foram identificados seis grupos de reservatórios cujas respostas são variáveis de acordo com tipo de forçante (natural ou antropogênica) de maior controle. A análise dos tempos de resposta do sistema hidrológico sugere um tempo de até aproximadamente 6 meses para que medidas de combate às secas sejam tomadas. Este estudo ressalta as vantagens do uso combinado de dados de diferentes fontes em estudos regionais. / Natural disasters have caused major economics and human losses globally. Recent droughts over Southeast Brazil underscored the importance of having mitigation strategies to fight the effects from extreme events and a prerequisite to anticipate the impacts from future events is an understanding of past droughts by means of spatial and temporal characterization. The objective of this study is to quantify regional impacts of extreme events on the hydrological system and identify linkages between meteorological and hydrological droughts. To this end, major droughts events between 1995 and 2015 were identified and characterized. Depletion in total water storage (TWS) and main components of the water budget were analyzed. Simulated soil moisture and runoff from land surface models and remote sensing data were used, including measurements of TWS anomalies (TWSA) data from GRACE mission, rainfall and evapotranspiration estimates from TRMM and MODIS satellites, respectively. To quantify reservoir storage depletion, data from 37 reservoirs were collected. Results show that TWSA declined by 150 ± 50 km3 between 2011 and 2015 in the Paraná basin; and reservoir storage decreased 30% relative to the system\'s maximum capacity, with negative trends ranging from -17 to -25 km3 yr-1 during the droughts. Six groups of reservoirs were identified whose response vary according to the main forcing type: human and/or natural controls. Analysis of the system\'s time lag responses indicated a 6 month window during which actions could be taken to combat the drought impacts. This study emphasizes the importance of integrating remote sensing, modelling and monitoring data to evaluate droughts and develop a comprehensive understanding of the linkages between meteorological and hydrological droughts for future management.

Desastres naturais (secas, enchentes, etc) têm resultado em perdas humanas e grandes prejuízos financeiros em diversos lugares do mundo. Os recentes períodos de seca ocorridos na região sudeste do Brasil mostraram a importância de se dispor de estratégias de mitigação dos efeitos decorrentes desses eventos extremos. Um pré-requisito para prever impactos desses eventos no futuro, é compreender como os mesmos ocorreram no passado, caracterizando-os espacial e temporalmente. Diante do exposto, o objetivo deste trabalho é quantificar os impactos regionais no sistema hidrológico causados por eventos extremos e identificar conexões entre as secas meteorológicas e hidrológicas, usando a bacia do rio Paraná como estudo de caso. Para tanto, foram identificados e caracterizados os principais eventos de seca ocorridos entre 1995 e 2015, analisaram-se as perdas de água nos componentes do balanço hídrico e no armazenamento total de água. Foram utilizados dados de sensoriamento remoto, incluindo medições da missão GRACE de anomalias no armazenamento total de água terrestre (TWSA), e estimativas de precipitação e evapotranspiração pelos satélites TRMM e MODIS, respectivamente. Simulações de modelos globais de assimilação de dados de superfície terrestre forneceram estimativas de escoamento superficial e umidade do solo. Foram coletados dados de 37 reservatórios para quantificar as perdas de água no armazenamento em terra. Os resultados mostram que o TWSA diminuiu 150 ± 50 km3 entre 2011 e 2015 na bacia do rio Paraná, o armazenamento dos reservatórios diminuiu 30% em relação à capacidade máxima do sistema com taxas de -17 a -25 km3 ano-1 durante as secas. Foram identificados seis grupos de reservatórios cujas respostas são variáveis de acordo com tipo de forçante (natural ou antropogênica) de maior controle. A análise dos tempos de resposta do sistema hidrológico sugere um tempo de até aproximadamente 6 meses para que medidas de combate às secas sejam tomadas. Este estudo ressalta as vantagens do uso combinado de dados de diferentes fontes em estudos regionais. / Natural disasters have caused major economics and human losses globally. Recent droughts over Southeast Brazil underscored the importance of having mitigation strategies to fight the effects from extreme events and a prerequisite to anticipate the impacts from future events is an understanding of past droughts by means of spatial and temporal characterization. The objective of this study is to quantify regional impacts of extreme events on the hydrological system and identify linkages between meteorological and hydrological droughts. To this end, major droughts events between 1995 and 2015 were identified and characterized. Depletion in total water storage (TWS) and main components of the water budget were analyzed. Simulated soil moisture and runoff from land surface models and remote sensing data were used, including measurements of TWS anomalies (TWSA) data from GRACE mission, rainfall and evapotranspiration estimates from TRMM and MODIS satellites, respectively. To quantify reservoir storage depletion, data from 37 reservoirs were collected. Results show that TWSA declined by 150 ± 50 km3 between 2011 and 2015 in the Paraná basin; and reservoir storage decreased 30% relative to the system\'s maximum capacity, with negative trends ranging from -17 to -25 km3 yr-1 during the droughts. Six groups of reservoirs were identified whose response vary according to the main forcing type: human and/or natural controls. Analysis of the system\'s time lag responses indicated a 6 month window during which actions could be taken to combat the drought impacts. This study emphasizes the importance of integrating remote sensing, modelling and monitoring data to evaluate droughts and develop a comprehensive understanding of the linkages between meteorological and hydrological droughts for future management.

Since 2002, NASA's GRACE Satellite mission has allowed scientists of various disciplines to analyze and map the changes in Earth's total water storage on a global scale. Although the raw data is available to the public, the process of viewing, manipulating, and analyzing the GRACE data can be difficult for those without strong technological backgrounds in programming or geospatial software. This is particularly true for water managers in developing countries, where GRACE data could be a valuable asset for sustainable water resource management. To address this problem, I have a developed a utility for subsetting GRACE data to particular regions of interest and I have packaged that utility in a web app that allows water managers to quickly and easily visualize GRACE data these regions. Using the GLDAS-Noah Land Surface Model, the total water storage for the regions derived from the raw GRACE data is decomposed into surface water, soil moisture, and groundwater components. The GRACE Groundwater Subsetting Tool is easily deployed, open-source, and provides access to all of the major signal processing solutions available for the total water storage data. The application has been successfully applied to both developed and developing countries in various parts of the world, including the Central Valley region in California, Bangladesh, the La Plata River Basin in South America, and the SERVIR Hindu Kush Himalaya region. The groundwater data in this application has proven capable of monitoring groundwater use based on drought trends as well as agricultural demand in a number of locations and can assist in uniting decision makers and water users in the mission of sustainably managing the world's groundwater resources.