Articles | Volume 24, issue 10
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-4831-2020
© Author(s) 2020. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-4831-2020
© Author(s) 2020. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
13 Oct 2020
Research article |
| 13 Oct 2020
| 13 Oct 2020
Assessing global water mass transfers from continents to oceans over the period 1948–2016
Denise Cáceres
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Institute of Physical Geography, Goethe University Frankfurt,
Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Ben Marzeion
Institute of Geography, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
MARUM – Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
Jan Hendrik Malles
Institute of Geography, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
MARUM – Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
Benjamin Daniel Gutknecht
Institut für Planetare Geodäsie, Technische Universität
Dresden, Dresden, Germany
Hannes Müller Schmied
Institute of Physical Geography, Goethe University Frankfurt,
Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Senckenberg Leibniz Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre Frankfurt (SBiK-F), Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Petra Döll
Institute of Physical Geography, Goethe University Frankfurt,
Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Senckenberg Leibniz Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre Frankfurt (SBiK-F), Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Viewed
Total article views: 4,691 (including HTML, PDF, and XML)
Cumulative views and downloads
(calculated since 06 Feb 2020)
| HTML | XML | Total | Supplement | BibTeX | EndNote | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3,342 | 1,247 | 102 | 4,691 | 336 | 109 | 120 |
- HTML: 3,342
- PDF: 1,247
- XML: 102
- Total: 4,691
- Supplement: 336
- BibTeX: 109
- EndNote: 120
Total article views: 3,676 (including HTML, PDF, and XML)
Cumulative views and downloads
(calculated since 13 Oct 2020)
| HTML | XML | Total | Supplement | BibTeX | EndNote | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2,919 | 674 | 83 | 3,676 | 206 | 85 | 97 |
- HTML: 2,919
- PDF: 674
- XML: 83
- Total: 3,676
- Supplement: 206
- BibTeX: 85
- EndNote: 97
Total article views: 1,015 (including HTML, PDF, and XML)
Cumulative views and downloads
(calculated since 06 Feb 2020)
| HTML | XML | Total | Supplement | BibTeX | EndNote | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 423 | 573 | 19 | 1,015 | 130 | 24 | 23 |
- HTML: 423
- PDF: 573
- XML: 19
- Total: 1,015
- Supplement: 130
- BibTeX: 24
- EndNote: 23
Viewed (geographical distribution)
Total article views: 4,691 (including HTML, PDF, and XML)
Thereof 4,264 with geography defined
and 427 with unknown origin.
Total article views: 3,676 (including HTML, PDF, and XML)
Thereof 3,380 with geography defined
and 296 with unknown origin.
Total article views: 1,015 (including HTML, PDF, and XML)
Thereof 884 with geography defined
and 131 with unknown origin.
| Country | # | Views | % |
|---|
| Country | # | Views | % |
|---|
| Country | # | Views | % |
|---|
| Total: | 0 |
| HTML: | 0 |
| PDF: | 0 |
| XML: | 0 |
- 1
1
| Total: | 0 |
| HTML: | 0 |
| PDF: | 0 |
| XML: | 0 |
- 1
1
| Total: | 0 |
| HTML: | 0 |
| PDF: | 0 |
| XML: | 0 |
- 1
1
Cited
26 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Divergent Causes of Terrestrial Water Storage Decline Between Drylands and Humid Regions Globally L. An et al. 10.1029/2021GL095035
- The global water resources and use model WaterGAP v2.2e: description and evaluation of modifications and new features H. Müller Schmied et al. 10.5194/gmd-17-8817-2024
- A 6-year cycle in the Earth system J. Pfeffer et al. 10.1016/j.gloplacha.2023.104245
- Coupling a large-scale glacier and hydrological model (OGGM v1.5.3 and CWatM V1.08) – towards an improved representation of mountain water resources in global assessments S. Hanus et al. 10.5194/gmd-17-5123-2024
- GMD perspective: The quest to improve the evaluation of groundwater representation in continental- to global-scale models T. Gleeson et al. 10.5194/gmd-14-7545-2021
- Assessing robustness in global hydrological predictions by comparing modelling and Earth observations R. Pimentel et al. 10.1080/02626667.2023.2267544
- Mapping terrestrial water storage changes in Canada using GRACE and GRACE-FO F. Fatolazadeh & K. Goïta 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.146435
- A global perspective on the development and application of glacio-hydrological model C. Yang et al. 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2025.132797
- Water cycle science enabled by the GRACE and GRACE-FO satellite missions M. Rodell & J. Reager 10.1038/s44221-022-00005-0
- An Abrupt Decline in Global Terrestrial Water Storage and Its Relationship with Sea Level Change M. Rodell et al. 10.1007/s10712-024-09860-w
- Scaling methods of leakage correction in GRACE mass change estimates revisited for the complex hydro-climatic setting of the Indus Basin V. Tripathi et al. 10.5194/hess-26-4515-2022
- Revisiting the global mean ocean mass budget over 2005–2020 A. Barnoud et al. 10.5194/os-19-321-2023
- Glacial runoff buffers droughts through the 21st century L. Ultee et al. 10.5194/esd-13-935-2022
- High-resolution temporal gravity field data products: Monthly mass grids and spherical harmonics from 1994 to 2021 M. Uz et al. 10.1038/s41597-023-02887-5
- Contemporary sea-level changes from global to local scales: a review A. Cazenave & L. Moreira 10.1098/rspa.2022.0049
- Trends and uncertainties of mass-driven sea-level change in the satellite altimetry era C. Camargo et al. 10.5194/esd-13-1351-2022
- Rapid disintegration and weakening of ice shelves in North Greenland R. Millan et al. 10.1038/s41467-023-42198-2
- Improved evapotranspiration estimation using the Penman-Monteith equation with a deep learning (DNN) model over the dry southwestern US: Comparison with ECOSTRESS, MODIS, and OpenET M. Jawad et al. 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2025.133460
- Global sea-level budget and ocean-mass budget, with a focus on advanced data products and uncertainty characterisation M. Horwath et al. 10.5194/essd-14-411-2022
- Coupling a global glacier model to a global hydrological model prevents underestimation of glacier runoff P. Wiersma et al. 10.5194/hess-26-5971-2022
- Modified flood potential index (MFPI) for flood monitoring in terrestrial water storage depletion basin using GRACE estimates W. Jiang et al. 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2022.128765
- The changing nature of groundwater in the global water cycle X. Kuang et al. 10.1126/science.adf0630
- The global water resources and use model WaterGAP v2.2d: model description and evaluation H. Müller Schmied et al. 10.5194/gmd-14-1037-2021
- A GNSS velocity field for geophysical applications in Fennoscandia H. Kierulf et al. 10.1016/j.jog.2021.101845
- Assessment of pluri-annual and decadal changes in terrestrial water storage predicted by global hydrological models in comparison with the GRACE satellite gravity mission J. Pfeffer et al. 10.5194/hess-27-3743-2023
- GravIS: mass anomaly products from satellite gravimetry C. Dahle et al. 10.5194/essd-17-611-2025
26 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Divergent Causes of Terrestrial Water Storage Decline Between Drylands and Humid Regions Globally L. An et al. 10.1029/2021GL095035
- The global water resources and use model WaterGAP v2.2e: description and evaluation of modifications and new features H. Müller Schmied et al. 10.5194/gmd-17-8817-2024
- A 6-year cycle in the Earth system J. Pfeffer et al. 10.1016/j.gloplacha.2023.104245
- Coupling a large-scale glacier and hydrological model (OGGM v1.5.3 and CWatM V1.08) – towards an improved representation of mountain water resources in global assessments S. Hanus et al. 10.5194/gmd-17-5123-2024
- GMD perspective: The quest to improve the evaluation of groundwater representation in continental- to global-scale models T. Gleeson et al. 10.5194/gmd-14-7545-2021
- Assessing robustness in global hydrological predictions by comparing modelling and Earth observations R. Pimentel et al. 10.1080/02626667.2023.2267544
- Mapping terrestrial water storage changes in Canada using GRACE and GRACE-FO F. Fatolazadeh & K. Goïta 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.146435
- A global perspective on the development and application of glacio-hydrological model C. Yang et al. 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2025.132797
- Water cycle science enabled by the GRACE and GRACE-FO satellite missions M. Rodell & J. Reager 10.1038/s44221-022-00005-0
- An Abrupt Decline in Global Terrestrial Water Storage and Its Relationship with Sea Level Change M. Rodell et al. 10.1007/s10712-024-09860-w
- Scaling methods of leakage correction in GRACE mass change estimates revisited for the complex hydro-climatic setting of the Indus Basin V. Tripathi et al. 10.5194/hess-26-4515-2022
- Revisiting the global mean ocean mass budget over 2005–2020 A. Barnoud et al. 10.5194/os-19-321-2023
- Glacial runoff buffers droughts through the 21st century L. Ultee et al. 10.5194/esd-13-935-2022
- High-resolution temporal gravity field data products: Monthly mass grids and spherical harmonics from 1994 to 2021 M. Uz et al. 10.1038/s41597-023-02887-5
- Contemporary sea-level changes from global to local scales: a review A. Cazenave & L. Moreira 10.1098/rspa.2022.0049
- Trends and uncertainties of mass-driven sea-level change in the satellite altimetry era C. Camargo et al. 10.5194/esd-13-1351-2022
- Rapid disintegration and weakening of ice shelves in North Greenland R. Millan et al. 10.1038/s41467-023-42198-2
- Improved evapotranspiration estimation using the Penman-Monteith equation with a deep learning (DNN) model over the dry southwestern US: Comparison with ECOSTRESS, MODIS, and OpenET M. Jawad et al. 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2025.133460
- Global sea-level budget and ocean-mass budget, with a focus on advanced data products and uncertainty characterisation M. Horwath et al. 10.5194/essd-14-411-2022
- Coupling a global glacier model to a global hydrological model prevents underestimation of glacier runoff P. Wiersma et al. 10.5194/hess-26-5971-2022
- Modified flood potential index (MFPI) for flood monitoring in terrestrial water storage depletion basin using GRACE estimates W. Jiang et al. 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2022.128765
- The changing nature of groundwater in the global water cycle X. Kuang et al. 10.1126/science.adf0630
- The global water resources and use model WaterGAP v2.2d: model description and evaluation H. Müller Schmied et al. 10.5194/gmd-14-1037-2021
- A GNSS velocity field for geophysical applications in Fennoscandia H. Kierulf et al. 10.1016/j.jog.2021.101845
- Assessment of pluri-annual and decadal changes in terrestrial water storage predicted by global hydrological models in comparison with the GRACE satellite gravity mission J. Pfeffer et al. 10.5194/hess-27-3743-2023
- GravIS: mass anomaly products from satellite gravimetry C. Dahle et al. 10.5194/essd-17-611-2025
Discussed (final revised paper)
Latest update: 27 May 2025
Short summary
We analysed how and to which extent changes in water storage on continents had an effect on global ocean mass over the period 1948–2016. Continents lost water to oceans at an accelerated rate, inducing sea level rise. Shrinking glaciers explain 81 % of the long-term continental water mass loss, while declining groundwater levels, mainly due to sustained groundwater pumping for irrigation, is the second major driver. This long-term decline was partly offset by the impoundment of water in dams.
We analysed how and to which extent changes in water storage on continents had an effect on...
