dataset · Global
Monthly time-series data of individual terrestrial water stores including groundwater storage from GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment) satellites an
Monthly anomalies (August 2002 to July 2016) of total terrestrial water storage (TWS), soil moisture storage (SMS), surface water storage (SWS), snow water storage (SNS), groundwater storage (GWS) derived from an ensemble mean of 3 gridded GRACE products (CSR, JPL-Mascons and GRGS) and an ensemble mean 4 land surface models (CLM, NOAH, VIC and MOSAIC), provided by the NASA’s Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS). Monthly precipitation (CRU) data, derived from the Climatic Research Unit (C
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Licence: ["The copyright of materials derived from the British Geological Survey's work is vested in the Natural Environment Research Council [NERC]. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in an
Evidence quality: 37.9
Listed in data.gov.uk public catalogue API on 2026-10-16; relevance/value screened (haiku).
Metadata checked: 2026-10-14T13:20:00.000Z
What's in it
- Data offered docs-verified
- monthly total terrestrial water storage (TWS) anomaly · monthly soil moisture storage (SMS) anomaly · monthly surface water storage (SWS) anomaly · monthly snow water storage (SNS) anomaly · monthly groundwater storage (GWS) anomaly · monthly precipitation (CRU), aggregated per aquifer system
- Coverage docs-verified
- World's large aquifer systems (global) · August 2002 to July 2016
- Resolution docs-verified
- Monthly temporal resolution; spatial resolution not stated (precipitation aggregated over each aquifer system)
- Update frequency docs-verified
- notApplicable (per metadata; series covers August 2002 to July 2016)
- Access docs-verified
- Free to view on data.gov.uk; no authentication listed. Access constraints: NERC/BGS copyright, reproduction or transmission requires prior permission from the copyright holder. Site content under OGL v3.0 except where otherwise stated.
Useful for
- Use cases llm-inferred
- Aquifer-scale groundwater storage context for regional water resources assessments outside the UK · Background storage anomaly comparison for international water supply due diligence · Precipitation versus storage screening for aquifer recharge assessment at large-system scale
- Audience llm-inferred
- hydrologists · hydrogeologists · water resources engineers · environmental consultants
Limitations
- Constraints llm-inferred
- Time series ends July 2016; not current · Global, aquifer-system-scale anomalies; not suitable for site-specific FRA or drainage design · Coarse satellite and land-model products; spatial resolution not stated in the metadata · Reproduction requires NERC/BGS permission under the access constraints · Not UK-focused; no UK-specific coverage stated
Evidence
- https://webapps.bgs.ac.uk/services/ngdc/accessions/index.html#item111996
- https://www.data.gov.uk/dataset/b07e0e5c-d1b2-421f-95ac-ae1f63411a88/monthly-time-series-data-of-individual-terrestrial-water-stores-including-groundwater-storage-f
Check upstream coverage, uncertainty and licence before use. Station observations are not forecasts or design levels.