Assessment of climate change in terrestrial water storage over the
Magdalena-Cauca basin
Abstract
Terrestrial water storage (TWS) plays a key role in land-surface
interaction and the hydrological cycle. Changes in the variability of
its components, including surface storage, soil moisture and groundwater
can lead to significant changes in local climate, water supply sources
and agricultural production. In this study, we assess the impacts of
climate variability and change in surface and subsurface hydrological
variables over the Magdalena-Cauca basin (Colombia) using a distributed
conceptual hydrological model (WMF) driven by precipitation and
temperature from four GCMs (general circulation models). WMF is
calibrated using daily precipitation products from the Tropical Rainfall
Measuring Mission (TRMM). Monthly mean anomalies of surface and
groundwater storage outputs show consistency with Gravity Recovery and
Climate Experiment (GRACE) data. Past (1970-2001) and future (2021-2050
and 2071-2100) precipitation from GCMs are statistically downscaled
using a quantile mapping method to a spatial resolution of 0.25 by 0.25
degrees. Mean precipitation projections over the country are highly
dependent on the selected GCMs, but the evidence shows agreement in a
decrease towards the lower part of the basin; these projections are also
present in surface runoff simulations. Annual mean streamflow follows
the sign of the mean rainfall change over the basin. On the other hand,
soil properties, topography, and geomorphological characteristics
condition the patterns of subsurface and groundwater storage change
(magnitude and localization), with the upper part of the Colombian Andes
and the river mouth presenting the greatest changes. Results also show
that mean soil moisture decrease in all scenarios, associated with
changes in precipitation, but also due to the influence of temperature
and evapotranspiration. The latter could lead to changes in the
soil-atmosphere interaction, energetic conditions of the ecosystems and
the need for agricultural mitigation strategies.