The high-resolution (1km) groundwater storage and depletion maps across Irrigated Indus Basin (IIB) during 2002-2019

We provided high-resolution (1km) groundwater storage (GWS) and depletion (DEPgw) maps across Irrigated Indus Basin (IIB) for 2002-2019. We applied two independent methodologies (1) spatial downscaling for improving GRACE-based GWS data, and (2) SWAT (Soil Water Assessment Tool) and pixel-based water balance approach for DEPgw estimates. GWS were estimated from the GRACE data, then downscaled to 1 km × 1 km using data-driven spatial downscaling models. We combined the downscaled GRACE-based GWS estimates with results from a calibrated SWAT hydrological model to estimate the DEPgw. The resultant maps delineate the groundwater depletion hotspots of cropping systems in the 55 canal command areas of IIB and could contribute to sustainable water use and agricultural development in the region. <br> <br> Readers can refer to the following publication for more details on the methods. <br> Arshad, A., Mirchi, A., Samimi, M. and Ahmad, B., 2022. Combining downscaled-GRACE data with SWAT to improve the estimation of groundwater storage and depletion variations in the Irrigated Indus Basin (IIB). <em>Science of the Total Environment</em>, <em>838</em>, p.156044.