Contribution of Land water stOrage to Sea-level Rise

ended

Sea-level rise is one of the most dreadful consequences of future climate change. To estimate the associated risk and prepare ourselves better for its implications, we need to identify the spatiotemporal characteristics of the contributors to sea-level change. Out of all the contributors, land water storage change is the most debated one because studies so far do not even agree on its sign. In the framework of CLOSeR (Contribution of Land water stOrage to Sea-level Rise), I will estimate the spatiotemporal characteristic of contribution from land water storage to sea-level rise between 2002 and 2020, in a robust statistical framework called BHM (Bayesian Hierarchical Modelling) with the help of: 1) multi-mission satellite altimetry data over oceans 2) a new data-driven leakage corrected GRACE product 3) steric information from ARGO floats and 4) a novel data-driven GIA model. Within this two-year fellowship, hosted at University of Bristol, supervised by Prof. J. L. Bamber, I will develop a data-driven leakage corrected GRACE product for global applications, develop a BHM to solve for land water storage contribution while closing the sea-level budget, and identify the regions that contribute significantly to sea-level rise. The approach is unique, global in scale, and will address a multi-disciplinary problem comprehensively. The proposed action will complement the goals of GlobalMass project at University of Bristol and will go beyond. CLOSeR will produce significant advances in understanding the role of land water storage in contemporary sea-level change that will help us better predict the future. For the first time, we will produce spatial and temporal hot-spots of land water storage contribution to sea-level rise using a cutting edge statistical tool for signal separation: Bayesian Hierarchical Modelling. In this process, the training received, collaborations established, and knowledge gained, will help in making me an independent Earth scientist in future.