The overarching aim of this project is: (i) developing global high-resolution centenary scale Earth Observation (EO) hydroclimate products that will support monitoring of climate-related impacts on stored water as well as lower troposphere/higher stratosphere, and (ii) applying the hydroclimate products to model future risks associated with climate change.

This will be useful to continents such as Africa and Asia, that suffer from insufficient high-resolution hydroclimate data yet are significantly impacted by climate change.

With the ongoing effects of climate change, the frequency and severity of extreme weather events (e.g., droughts and floods) are increasing worldwide, significantly impacting water availability, distribution, and causing destruction of properties and livelihoods.

Half of the world’s population is predicted to live in areas facing water scarcity by as early as 2025. Thus, the ability to monitor and understand Earth’s hydrological and atmospheric cycles on a global scale is essential for managing water resources and mitigating the impacts of climate change and extremes.

Earth Observation Remote Sensing (EORS) offers a versatile source of water availability data through: GRACE/GRACE-FO (GRACE) and Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) radio occultation (GNSS-RO), also known as GNSS atmospheric sounding.

These EORS products are useful for detecting and mapping changes in water availability components (e.g., soil moisture, surface water, and groundwater), especially when in-situ data are scarce. GRACE provides valuable terrestrial water storage (TWS) observations, while GNSS atmospheric sounding products provide vertical profiles of temperature and pressure, critical for monitoring global warming.

Integrating GNSS atmospheric data with GRACE TWS measurements allows for a more comprehensive understanding of the Earth’s water cycle, revealing the relationship between atmospheric conditions and TWS changes.