Articles | Volume 29, issue 10
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-2293-2025
© Author(s) 2025. 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-29-2293-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
19 May 2025
Research article |
| 19 May 2025
| 19 May 2025
Substantial root-zone water storage capacity observed by GRACE and GRACE/FO
Department of Earth and Spatial Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83843, US
Erica L. McCormick
Department of Earth System Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, US
Geruo A
Department of Earth System Science, University of California, Irvine, CA 92617, US
Alexandra G. Konings
Department of Earth System Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, US
Bailing Li
Hydrological Sciences Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, US
Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, US
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Short summary
Root-zone water storage capacity (Sr) helps plants survive droughts and influences water and climate systems. Using GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment) satellite data, we estimated Sr globally and found that it exceeds 2 m soil storage in nearly half of the vegetated areas, far more than previously thought. Incorporating our Sr estimates into a global hydrological model improves evapotranspiration simulations, particularly during droughts, highlighting the value of our approach for advancing water resource and ecosystem modeling.
Root-zone water storage capacity (Sr) helps plants survive droughts and influences water and...
