Global Water Cycle Nonstationarity 

NASA scientists analyzed more than 20 years of precipitation, soil-moisture, and groundwater storage data in an attempt to identify and understand long-term trends in the way Earth’s water cycle redistributes freshwater around the globe. 

In this visualization, part of the research is presented using a metric called the Nonstationary Index (NSI). NSI defines on a scale from 0 to 1 how quickly and severely groundwater storage is changing. By mapping these values globally, researchers can pinpoint changes and help local stakeholders prepare for potential pressures related to freshwater availability. Findings are also used to tie changes to climate-scale trends or localized human activity, like land use and agriculture. 

On the right, global plots of the Theil-Sen slope of global terrestrail water storage (TR), seasonal peak shift of global terrestrail water storage (SS), and the extreme frequency ratio of global terrestrial water storage (EFR) indices are displayed. These indices offer additional insight into site-specific and global groundwater storage trends and extreme. 



For more information: 
https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/5442/ 

For hyperwall presenter use only. Please do not link to this page from public websites.