Advances in Earth Science ›› 2001, Vol. 16 ›› Issue (1): 106-112. doi: 10.11867/j.issn.1001-8166.2001.01.0106

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ASSESSMENT ON CONTRIBUTIONS OF LAND WATER STORAGE TO SEA LEVEL RISE

DING Yong-jian,QIN Da-he,YE Bai-sheng,LIU Shi-yin   

  1. Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute,CAS,Lanzhou730000,China
  • Received:2000-03-15 Revised:2000-07-10 Online:2001-02-01 Published:2001-02-01

DING Yong-jian,QIN Da-he,YE Bai-sheng,LIU Shi-yin. ASSESSMENT ON CONTRIBUTIONS OF LAND WATER STORAGE TO SEA LEVEL RISE[J]. Advances in Earth Science, 2001, 16(1): 106-112.

The surface water and ground water storages are changing due to direct anthropogenic and climatic causes. Changes of the surface water and ground water storage should arouse sea level rise. However, changes of the surface water and ground water storage are very complicated. Their effect on the sea level is attributed by the ground water depletion, changes in man made reservoir and natural lake storage, deforestation, loss of wetlands, permafrost thawing, retreating of glaciers and ice sheets and increase in soil moisture and so on. This paper focuses on effect of the ground water, man made reservoir, natural lake and deforestation on the sea level. We re examine recent estimates and re assess the contributions of those factors to sea level rise, especially added the contributions of some corresponding factors from China, which have been neglected in former studied. Some overestimates and uncertain factors such as deep seepage beneath reservoirs, evaporation over reservoirs,soil water storage, evaporation and transpiration by irrigation are discussed. The contribution of the total excess charge for the global ground water to the sea level rise might fall in the range of 0.35~0.45 mm/a, and the cumulating sea level rise caused by this factor is estimated to be 11.05 mm. We suggest that the total water impoundment at present would be about 5.0×1012 ~6.0×1012 m3 (by 50% to 60% of total reservoir capacity) in the world. These figures amount to a 13.9 to 16.7 mm sea level decrease, equivalent to an average rate of 0.232 to 0.278 mm/a over the last 60 years. The contribution of lake storage to sea level rise estimated is 0.112 mm/a for rate and 3.69 mm for total. The deforested rate of 10×10 10 m2/a is available value to estimate contribution of deforestation to sea level rise in the past 50 years. It would add 3.3×1010 m3/a water to the ocean, amounting to 0.092 mm/a, or 4.58 mm in 50 years.

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