Articles | Volume 30, issue 4
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-30-985-2026
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-30-985-2026
Review article
 | 
19 Feb 2026
Review article |  | 19 Feb 2026

A review of current best practices and future directions in assimilating GRACE/-FO terrestrial water storage data into numerical models

Anne Springer, Gabriëlle De Lannoy, Matthew Rodell, Yorck Ewerdwalbesloh, Helena Gerdener, Mehdi Khaki, Bailing Li, Fupeng Li, Maike Schumacher, Natthachet Tangdamrongsub, Mohammad J. Tourian, Wanshu Nie, and Jürgen Kusche

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Cited articles

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Albergel, C., Munier, S., Leroux, D. J., Dewaele, H., Fairbairn, D., Barbu, A. L., Gelati, E., Dorigo, W., Faroux, S., Meurey, C., Le Moigne, P., Decharme, B., Mahfouf, J.-F., and Calvet, J.-C.: Sequential assimilation of satellite-derived vegetation and soil moisture products using SURFEX_v8.0: LDAS-Monde assessment over the Euro-Mediterranean area, Geoscientific Model Development, 10, 3889–3912, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-10-3889-2017, 2017. a
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Anderson, J. L. and Anderson, S. L.: A Monte Carlo Implementation of the Nonlinear Filtering Problem to Produce Ensemble Assimilations and Forecasts, Monthly Weather Review, 127, 2741–2758, https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0493(1999)127<2741:AMCIOT>2.0.CO;2, 1999. a
Arciniega-Esparza, S., Hernández-Espriú, J. A., Salinas-Calleros, G., Birkel, C., and Sanchez, R.: Assessing hydrological drought propagation through assimilation of GRACE for groundwater storage anomalies modelling in northeastern Mexico, Journal of Hydrology, 661, 133826, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2025.133826, 2025. a
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Short summary
The GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment) and GRACE Follow-On satellites monitor changes in Earth's water storage by observing gravity variations. By integrating these observations into hydrological models through data assimilation, estimates of groundwater, soil moisture, and hydrological trends are improved, helping to monitor droughts, floods, and human water use. This review highlights recent advances in GRACE data assimilation, identifies key challenges, and discusses future directions with upcoming satellite missions.
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